Digimon: Apocalypse
by Fruitloop Trooper
Summary: The Second Black Death has been unleashed,infecting the Chosen population.A new religion has been formed and with friends turning against them, and the Demon Lords appearing,can the remaing Chosen, now XChosen stop the end of the Digital World?
1. Prologue: The Second Black Death

Author's note: Well, so much for never doing another digimon fic, huh? Well, I had enough inspiration to write one more. Hope you enjoy.

"_Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape"- William S. Burroughs_

_Digimon: Apocalypse:_

_The Second Black Death_

_            Life is strange, isn't it? It can be filled with happiness, energy and overwhelming joy, and other times it seems like it is nothing but heartache, pain and destruction. And why is it that the happy times move at the blink of an eye, but the bad times go on and on?_

_            My name is Hikari Yagami, a Chosen Child, chosen by the Digital World to receive a digimon partner, to become a guardian of both the Digital World and Earth. While this task has given me such pleasure and joy as well as heartache and pain. I had been able to save so many lives, but at the same time I had to kill so many to safeguard those lives I swore to protect. But, I would not have traded my adventures for anything._

_            The Chosen Children, my older brother, Taichi, and friends so close they're family, were heroes, some would even say super heroes. But, every super hero team has an arch-enemy, ours was a hideous, monstrosity called Myotismon. Through his pawn, Yukio Oikawa, he used the depression and sadness from a dozen children to resurrect himself. We fought and killed him, and the Digital World finally knew peace._

_            We grew older, some graduated from school, some found love, others found heartache. However, to our surprise, more and more children were receiving digimon partners and we became teachers to them, helping them understand their destiny and their purpose. We were all happy, truly happy._

_            But happiness never lasts forever. It started five years ago when the first Trojan Virus appeared. A Trojan Horse program infects a computer, giving other programs a 'back-door' entrance but does not replicate. I'm sure you've seen these malicious programs before, they are annoying to say the least, usually forcing your web browser to open to a specific page, or making hundreds of pop-up ads appear. But others, like the W32.Delalot.B.Trojan, attempts to erase your entire hard drive. Now, imagine that destructive Trojan, as a virus that reproduces and can infect other computers on your network._

_That's what happened. A vicious and overpowering virus appeared on the internet, sent via e-mail. The virus was called the W32.Delalot.B.Trojan Virus, a Trojan program that was designed to replicate like a virus, but it was very dangerous, as it deleted all files on all computers. Anyone who opened the link would find their entire hard drive erased within hours.  It spread for years before the anti-virus programs could protect against it. However, it somehow found its way into the Digital World, where it mutated and began to infect digimon. It spread like a pandemic, untold numbers of digimon died within the first year alone, and an unforeseen consequence arose, due to the connection between a Chosen and their digimon, when the digimon died, so did the human partner. On Earth it was called the W32.Delalot.B.Trojan Virus, but we Chosen called it the Second Black Death, or BD-2._

_Koushiro Izumi, another Chosen, found a way to modify the same virus definition used for the anti-virus so it could be used on digimon, we called it the X-Antibody. However, only a few digimon were compatible with the X-Antibody. An unforeseen affect was that these digimon became mutated, stronger, more powerful then before. For some, their evolutionary lines were changed, others had their attacks modified, and they all changed in appearance. They didn't tire as fast, and they weren't hurt as easily. They were cured of the Black Death, but the killer virus continued to spread through the Chosen population. When we realized that the virus could not be cured, all Chosen were ordered to bring their digimon partners to Earth, where they would be safer. However, no digimon could survive on Earth for an indefinite amount of time, so a device was constructed to infuse them with synthetic digital energy. But this Synthetic Digital Energy Accelerator, the S-DEA, was a second-rate replacement, and all of the Chosen digimon that chose to stay on Earth may not have the virus, but they would continue to be weak and sickly, made all the worse from their depression of never returning to the Digital World again. A type of…'drug file,' was being developed to give them energy, but it wasn't known if it would ever be completed._

_            But the S-DEA required a massive amount of energy, and those Chosen who could barely afford to power a small, home computer could not afford this expensive device. They were forced to bring their digimon to the Digital World, but every time, they risked the chance of catching the virus, which thousands of Chosen did. The Digital World had become reminiscent of Medieval Europe, where millions succumbed to the original Black Death. _

_            Thousands of Chosen died from the first outbreak of the virus, while hundreds more were either infected with the BD-2, or forced to watch as their digimon partners became weaker and weaker from remaining on Earth for too long. But those Chosen modified by the X-Antibody became outcasts. Many Chosen saw us as corrupt overlords, and a resistance was created to fight against the X-Chosen, fueled by a new religion, which worshiped a god they called the God of the Digital World. We were even forced to fight our friends...all because of this damn virus!_

_            Koushiro Izumi, Tentomon, Daisuke Motomiya, V-mon, Ken Ichijoji, Wormmon, Iori Hida, Armadimon, Takeru Takaishi, Patamon, Miyako Inoe, Hawkmon…my best friends…dead, the virus killed them mercilessly. Sora Takenouchi, had escaped infection, but they had decided to remain on Earth as well, where their partners were forced to survive by continued treatments from the S-DEA. But Oniichan, Yamato, Jyou, Mimi, Michael and myself were all changed by the X-Antibody. We had survived._

_            We buried so many of our friends, but we tried to live life as best we could. Life goes on, I only wish that it could be easier…._

111

"The United Nations is a world-wide association of governments that cooperate in regards to international law, culture and economy. They were founded in 1945 by 51 governments, replacing the League of Nations. Currently, the U.N has over 200 members that…."

            Taichi Yagami tried as best he could to stay awake as his professor continued to speak from the center of the circular classroom. He briefly wondered why rooms in universities were always built in the same semicircular fashion, but that thought was pushed out of his mind when he yawned again. He quickly sat straight up and stared at the professor. He was lucky; she did not notice his display of tiredness. Dr. Hichai was a great teacher, but she was notorious for confronting those students whose attention drifted far from her subjects. And Taichi was constantly struggling to keep his attention focused. He knew he should pay attention, Political Science was his major, but he never did well having to listen to continuous lecture.

            Dr. Hichai walked over to her desk and closed her lesson book. "And since that's all I have for today, class is dismissed."

            Taichi blinked a few times, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Hichai _never_ let class out early, he briefly wondered if this was some kind of freak twist of reality, but let it pass as he joined his fellow students as they charged out of the room. He exited the building and stepped into the courtyard of the university. He checked his watch, 4:15, he had about forty-five minutes off, what could he possibly do now? Eh, maybe he should just head home for the day.

            He traveled the familiar streets to reach the train system, which brought him back to the apartment that he shared with his sister. Taichi had moved out first, but had not enrolled in the university right away, needing to raise the money on his own. Hikari, however, had entered college immediately following high school; having received numerous grants and scholarships. She had even graduated before him and had gotten a teaching job in the nearby elementary school. Instead of having her have to worry about finding living arrangements, Taichi offered her half of his apartment, which she accepted. They often joked that they had shared a bedroom while growing-up, and now they were sharing an apartment.

            When he entered the apartment, he was surprised to see Hikari sitting at the kitchen table. She was dressed in a white skirt and formal jacket with a pink blouse. Her hair was combed nicely, and she was dressed in heels. She was still in her work clothes. "Hikari?"

            She turned to him and smiled. "Oh, hi Oniichan."

            "What are you doing home so early?"

            She glanced at her watch. "The school day's over."

            "Yeah, but you usually stay after."

She shrugged. "It was Friday, so I just came home." She raised an eyebrow at him. "What about you? Skip class again?"

"Actually, she let us out early, hard to believe." He rubbed his hands. "Well, its Friday, so come on, I'll take you out for a drink or something, my treat!"

            "Taichi, I've got papers to correct…"

            "Come on, you need to loosen up a little. We're both home early, it's a sign or something. We're partying, now come on!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the apartment…

111

            The cities of the Digital World had changed drastically since BD-2's infection. Thousands of Chosen and digimon were lying in the streets, weak and sick, coughing and emptying the contents of their bowels and stomachs. Some were bleeding and others were writhing and screaming in pain, some of these latter infected-beings were even missing entire limbs. The BD-2 was a vicious virus, completely eating away at any and all digital information, digimon and human alike. As a result of this pandemic, the Digital World's economy simply shut down, cities crumbled, houses were destroyed. Only the trees and water continued to thrive and exist.

            Jyou and Gomamon X arrived in one of the cities early that day. Even though they had seen cities like this for the past year, the infected Chosen and digimon of the city of Ylicis caused even them to gasp in horror.

            "This is bad," Gomamon X said, "Really…really bad!"

            "I know," Jyou said, putting his large backpack down on the ground in the center of the city, "But we've got to try and help them." He reached into the large sack and began to pull out stacks of red floppy disks. "Here!" he shouted, "I've got medicine! Medicine!"

            The sick and dying citizens slowly rose to their feet and lined up before Jyou and Gomamon X. They calmly waited their turn for Gomamon to hand out the floppy disks while Jyou gave the humans injections of antibiotics. "At least they're not like the little kids waiting in the waiting room, right?" Gomamon asked.

            "They're sick," Jyou said, "Give them a break."

            Unknown to them, a similar gathering was being held only a few blocks away. A young woman was standing with a digimon dressed like a red witch. The Chosen and digimon that he managed to coerce from Jyou and Gomamon X stared up at him with awe and wonder.

            "My fellow Chosen!" she shouted, "My name is Chihi Miayag, this is my partner, Witchmon. As you have no doubt realized by now, she is _not_ an X digimon! She does not require daily doses from the S-DEA!  And yet, she is able to stand amongst you without fear of being infected by BD-2! That is because of the power bestowed upon us by the God of the Digital World!"

She began to walk through the crowd, mentioning with her hands, "You can be healed too! Do not let this virus harm you any longer! Do not be fooled by the false medicine given to you by those digimon that have been corrupted by the X-Antibody! You no longer need to be sick, ill, waiting to die! The Sovereigns are false, the angels have died, only the Digital God remains, the true god! Bow before him, accept him, and you will be strong!"

            Miayag smiled when she noticed that many in the crowd where staring up at her with curious eyes. She nodded at Witchmon, who hovered into the air. "If you want to be saved, then follow Witchmon, she will be the one to guide you to light and truth! Go now."

            The crowd began to follow after her, walking slowly due to their illness. Jyou and Gomamon X had been watching from a safe distance. "Those stupid cultists!" Gomamon X said, "They're gonna kill all those Chosen with their stupid magic, or whatever the hell they have." A smile crossed his lips, "Hey, let's go kick some butt!" He was about to run forward, but Jyou caught him.

            "Hold on."

            "What are you doing?" he shouted.

            The human shook his head. "Why don't we follow them and see where they're going?"

            A sly smile crossed the digimon's lips. "Getting sneaky as we get older, huh?"

            "That's not it!" Jyou protested, "I'm not getting into a fight if I can help it…or at least until I know what we're up against. Besides, if we start a fight now all those Chosen and digimon are gonna be caught in the cross-fire."

            "Know what I think?"

            "No," he answered.

            "I think you just want to see if you can take out their boss or something, right?"

            Jyou hesitated, then shook his head. "N…No, of course not. Now do you want to see where they're going or not?"

            "All right…all right, I'm coming."

111

            Hikari was still protesting Taichi's offer; she had projects and school work that she needed to finish. Her older brother debated with her until he offered to take her to a bar closer to home so she could be back home within an hour. She finally agreed.

            The bar they arrived at was a local hangout for young adults, so they were expecting the pub to be packed with drunken college students, but it was surprisingly vacant. "Cool," Taichi said, "We can get a seat at the bar."

            The two siblings found seats at the bar near the entrance to the kitchen. After ordering their drinks, Hikari began to sniff the sent coming from behind the kitchen door. "Wow, that fish smells good."

            "Hungry?" her brother asked.

            She smiled slightly and lightly patted her stomach. "I'm trying to watch my weight."

            "Oh come on, you're looking even skinnier then Mimi," he said.

            His sister smiled as she gently sipped her drink. "So, how are things going with you? Passing all of your classes?"

            "So far, yeah."

            She shook her head. "I still can't believe that you're going to be a politician, it's so…weird."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Just that I thought you'd end up being some kind of…of commander for a world-wide Chosen Children army," she frowned, "Even though the Chosen are dying…"

            Taichi wanted to say something comforting, but he could not think of anything.

            "Hikari, is that you?"

            Hikari turned around and saw a familiar orange-haired young woman enter the bar. "Sora, hi!"

            Taichi raised his eyebrows. "Sora?" He turned around and almost dropped his beer mug. He knew the woman standing before him was Sora, he had known her since they were both very little kids, but, at the same time, his mind was having trouble _believing_ this was Sora. The Sora he remembered was attractive, but this person could rival even a supermodel, her skin was soft and graceful, her hair radiating like the morning sun. Her face was still flawless; her hazel eyes were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. She was wearing a low cut, sleeveless dress in an off-colored blue, which ended slightly above her knees. He tried to speak, but found that he could not.

            Sora walked over to Hikari and smiled. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you since you graduated!"

            "Well, I got a job as a teacher," she said proudly.

            "That's great! Congratulations!"

            The brown-haired young woman nodded. "Yeah, but I left early, that's why we're here for a drink."

            Sora glanced over Hikari's shoulder and noticed the young man beside her for the first time. Her eyes shot open. "Oh my…Taichi? Is that you?"

            He finally found his voice. "H…hi Sora.."

            "Taichi, it's been like two years, ever since you went away to college! Oh my gosh…"

            Hikari smiled and mentioned to the empty seat beside her. "Why don't you join us?"

            "I think I'm going to have to," she said, dropping her purse over the back of the chair, "I'm just going to use the restroom, be back in a minute."

            Taichi stared at her as she disappeared in to the ladies room. He turned to Hikari.

"Wow."

            Hikari giggled. "That dress is beautiful, isn't it? I can't wait until it's available in stores."

            "She didn't buy it?"

            "No, she designed it herself."

            Taichi once again almost dropped his mug, "She _designed_ it?"

            "Yes, she's a fashion student, remember?"

He was amazed. "Wow, Sora's…changed, since I've seen her."

            "Well, it's not like you ever made an effort to see her since you moved away," she frowned, "I know that I haven't seen her since I got a job, but I've called her and sent her e-mails."

            Taichi hesitated, thinking of something to say, but nothing came to mind.

His sister waited for him to speak again, but when he did not, she continued. "The last time you saw her was for her twenty-first birthday, and that was three years ago."

He coughed slightly and mumbled a reply. His sister rolled her eyes and continued drinking. They sat in silence for a moment, before Hikari took a deep breath. She then asked her brother something she was sure he did not want to answer. "Do you still have feelings for her?"

            "What? No, no way, any feelings I had are gone." He drank his beer and thought, _"And before this moment, I would have been one hundred percent sure…"_

The two sat in silence, which was then interrupted by the clip/clop sound of Sora's heels as she returned from the rest room. Taichi noticed something weird about the sound, like it was not even. He wondered if she was limping on one foot, but he could only focus on her face. "Sorry, it was a long train ride," she smiled, sitting next to Hikari, "So, Hikari, how are you?"

            The brown-haired young woman grinned, and the two girls began to chat. Every time Hikari tried to include Taichi in the conversation, Sora changed the subject. Her brother was forced to sit silently and stare at his former childhood friend.

            Soon, Hikari glanced at her watch. "Oh, I'd better get going."

            "Really?" Sora asked.

            "Yeah, I've got some school work to do." She stood up and hugged Sora. "I'll see you soon." She walked over to her brother and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thanks Oniichan. I'll see you at home later."

            They both waved a farewell to Hikari as she left. The two young adults then sat in an uncomfortable silence. Finally Taichi broke that silence. "So, Hikari told me that you're studying to be a fashion designer?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

            "I never really pictured you as a fashion designer. I kinda always thought that you were gonna be a florist or something. What happened to your mother's shop?"

            "It's still there. I just didn't like the idea of following in my mother's footsteps," she explained flatly.

            Taichi noticed how cold she was being to him, but he tried to ignore it. He tried to think of something to say, when he noticed the shoes that she was wearing. They were a pair of thick white shoes with a slight heel in the back. "Um…those are odd, shoes, aren't they?"

            She blinked and glanced down. "W…what do you mean?"

            "Um…just that most of the girls I see are wearing sandals or something like that during this time of year…"

            She shrugged. "There are a lot of shoes out there, Taichi."

            He decided to ask. "Is there something wrong?"

            She glared at him. "You mean besides the fact that after my so-called friend goes away to college, the only communication that I get from him are e-mail greetings for birthdays, which, by the way, I know that Hikari's sending me from _your_ e-mail account."

            He cleared his throat slightly. "I wondered why I was getting those e-mails from Hikari's boyfriends…."

            "I don't find anything funny about this," she said, "We were like best friends since we met at soccer camp, and after you went away, it's like you just disappeared."

            He sighed. "I'm sorry, all right. I just…you know…"

            "No, I don't know. Why is it that whenever Hikari comes to visit, you never come with her?"

            "I…it wasn't just you," he said, "I…I just…"

            "What?" she asked, "What?"

            He hesitated a moment longer before sighing deeply. "It…just after the virus…after we buried Koushiro, I….I just broke down, I guess. I really couldn't…."

            "We've all been affected by that virus!" she shouted, "Koushiro, Daisuke, Ken, Takeru, Iori, we had to bury them all. You're lucky, Agumon was modified by that Antibody, but Piyomon became so sickly, we can't even go back to the Digital World, or we'll probably die, all because of the damn virus! Yet, I still manage to talk to Hikari, Jyou, and Yamato, why couldn't you?" She glanced at her watch, "I'm sorry, I need to go."

"Wait, let me walk you home."

            "I don't think so."

            "Hey, come on, we could at least…catch up?"

            She stared at him, but he flashed his goofy smile and her anger melted. "All right."

111

            Jyou and Gomamon X had tracked Miayag and Witchmon to a mysterious building only a few miles away. It looked like a church or some other kind of place or worship. However, it looked like it had been abandoned for years, as the entire structure was collapsing. As they peered inside through the missing stain-glass windows, they could see that Miayag and Witchmon was standing in front of an wooden altar, with the infected Chosen and their digimon partners kneeling before them.

            "Do not fear, my fellow Chosen," Miayag said, "For I will bring you strength and power. However…" She began to wave his hands again, in a rhythmic fashion, "While accepting the God of the Digital World will give you the strength to overcome the BD-2, one of you will be given an extra gift, one that I can only bestow upon the strongest one…" Her hands began to dance again, swaying and moving before they eventually pointed towards a young man with bright red hair. Seated beside him was a Betamon. Due to the affects of the BD-2 virus, parts of their bodies were missing. The boy's right arm was missing, while Betamon's fin had been completely eaten away. Not to mention that large chunks of their skin were missing, like massive blotches of red and green. "You."

            The boy looked at him. "M…Me?"

            "You name, what is it?"

            "J…James, ma'am," he said. He spoke with a British accent.

            Miayag smiled. "You will be the one, the one to receive the special gift…"

            "W…what about the others?" he asked.

            "They will be healed, do not fear," she grinned, "Now, will you accept the Digital God's gift?"

            James hesitated, then glanced at Betamon, who only stared up at him weakly. The British man nodded. "Y..yes…"

She mentioned to Witchmon, who walked over with a strange, bluish glowing orb in her hands. James struggled to his feet, he was obviously not used to missing one arm yet. He must have lost it recently. He reached out and held the orb within his left hand.

            "Now," Miayag said, "You need only merge it with your digivice. Do it, and become one of the strong!"

            James glanced down at the digivice which was hanging from his belt. He hesitated for a moment before bringing it over the device, which to his surprise flowed easily through the screen.

            His body suddenly stiffened and was overcome with a strange blue light. His missing pieces of skin began to reappear, as did his missing arm. As for his partner, he was overcome with the same blue light, but instead of his body repairing, he began to evolve! He grew longer, taller, more serpent-like. "Betamon evolve to Metalseadramon!"

            The infected Chosen who were seated in the church gasped loudly and cheered in awe. They all began to crowd around Miayag, demanding to be healed. Jyou and Gomamon X were in awe too, from their place in the window.

            "Metalseadramon?" Gomamon X exclaimed, "Metlaseadramon!"

            Jyou shook his head. "There's no way we can take on a Mega!" He sighed, "Come on, we need to get help.

111

            Hikari had waited up until well after midnight before Taichi finally returned home. "Where have you been?" she gasped.

            He smiled and shut the door. "I was jus' with Sora…"

            His younger sister gasped. "Sora! You two didn't…you know…did you?"

            "Wha? No…no…" he said, waving his hand, "No…no…" He suddenly fell to the ground.

            "Oniichan!" she gasped, running over to him. He was struggling to his feet, and she helped support him.

            "T..thanks…H…Hikari…"

            She sniffed the air. "You're drunk," she sighed.

            "I just had a few at Sora's…place…man, she still drinks like the girl I…I remember…" He stumbled for a moment, "I…I think I…I wanna lay down for a…a minute…"

            She smiled and helped him into his room, where he collapsed onto the bed. She chuckled and was about to leave, but he called out to her. "Do you think everyone has a certain person they're meant to be with for the rest of their lives?"

            She paused at the door. "I…I'm not sure Taichi, I think that if you really want to be with someone, it doesn't matter it you're meant to be or not."

            "Do you think I'll find someone?"

            She smiled. "Of course you will, you're Taichi, you're great! You're a lot better then me…"

            "Don't put yourself down so much," he said, "You'll find someone…too…." He began to drift to sleep. Hikari chuckled and turned the light.

            "Good night, Oniichan."

111

            The next morning Sora woke up with a mild hangover. "Oh man, my head…" She blinked a few times and rubbed her forehead. "Well, it's not the worse I ever had."

            She glanced around and saw that she was lying on her bed, still wearing the same dress as last night. She even had her shoes on.

            "Grandmother would probably have a heart attack, if she saw me wearing these inside," she smiled to herself as she slowly slid her right foot out. Her smile faded and she took a deep breath as she pulled her the left shoe off. On the left foot was a thick bandage wrapped tightly from heel to toe.

            She continued to hold her breath as she slowly undid the wrapping. Only her big toe remained, the other four were completely gone. But that was not what caused her heart to slip into her stomach, it was the revelation that the part of her foot where the missing four toes would be attached to had begun to disappear as well, like being eaten away by a mysterious, invisible mouth.

            She limped over to her vanity table and plopped into her chair, due to her hangover and to the pain from placing weight on her injured foot so early in the day. She began to wipe away the make up she was still wearing and then frowned at her reflection. There were giant splotches of red all across the left side of her face, it was even nearing her eye.

            When she heard the door open she spun to face her digimon partner, who was standing weakly in the hall. Most of her pink feathers were gone, as was the tip of her right wing. "How bad is it today?"

            Sora mentioned to her foot. "It's moving faster. I…I'm afraid that by tomorrow it will be completely gone. And…" She mentioned to her face, "It's spread to my eyelid. I…" Her shoulders started shaking and she began to sob. "It's not fair!"

            Piyomon limped over and placed her wing on Sora's back. "I know…I know…I…I think it's time we told Jyou…"

            "What's the use?" she asked, "There's no cure…"

            "So we're just gonna give up?" she gasped, "Sora, that's not like you!"

            "But…what's the use? We're just gonna end up dying! Oh Piyomon, I'm so sorry."

            "Sora, it's not your fault that we're sick like this…" she looked to the ground, "If anything, it's my fault."

            Sora stared at her. "Piyomon, it's not your fault!"

            "Well, it's not yours either!"

            Sora wiped a tear away from her eye and smiled. "All right, Piyomon, it's time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Let's call Jyou."

111

            In the Western Hemisphere of the Digital World, another city was under siege from the deadly BD-2. Maria lay on the back of her Centarumon as the Adult digimon weakly made his way through the streets full of the sick and the dying. Many of the Chosen and digimon were missing large portions of their bodies. Even the young Latino girl and her partner did not escape: she was missing both of her legs past her knees, while Centarumon's tail and left arm were gone.

            The centaur digimon trotted into a back alley and stopped before two Chosen and their digimon partners: Tatumj, a girl with light orange hair tied into braids and her Airdramon partner and and Sam, an African American male with a Flare Lizamon. They too were suffering from the affects of the BD-2.

            "What's up, Maria?" the braided-haired girl asked.

            The younger girl sighed and shook her head. "Michael and Mimi aren't back yet."

            "Damn it," Sam said, "Damn it!"

            "Calm down," Flare Lizamon said, "It will be okay."

            "No it won't," he said, "We're all gonna end up dead!"

            "Don't say that!" Maria protested, "Don't ever say that!"

            "But it's true," Tatum frowned, "Why is this happening to us? We saved the Digital World so many times, why did it turn on us like this?"

            "It's not the Digital World's fault!" Maria continued to protest, "It's just…something that happened."

            "Well it sucks," Sam said.

            Maria was going to say something, but loud cries from the street caught her attention. "What's going on?"

            "The Crowd is gathering," Centarumon said.

            A Chosen boy with dirty blond hair peered inside the alley. The BD-2 had actually claimed his right eye, behind him was a Veggiemon. "_Hola_," he said, "My name is Vicente."

            The six beings all nodded in greeting.

            "What are you doing here?" he asked, "The Digital God's messenger is here. Come, he will heal us!"

            "No thank you," Maria quickly said.

            "Wait," Sam said, "Maybe we should at least hear this guy out."

            "You're not serious!" Maria shouted.

            "I think he's right," Tatum said.

            "No!" the young girl gasped, "No!"

            "Maria, we're dying," she said, "If he can save us, then I think we should hear what he has to say."

            Maria tried to find the words to protest, but to her horror her friends were already following Vicente out of the alley.

….this is just the beginning….

**Terms:**

**W32.Delalot.B.Trojan:** A Trojan Horse that attempts to delete all files on a computer's hard drive. It eventually mutated to a hideous virus that caused a pandemic to the Chosen and digimon. _(This is a real Trojan Horse, by the way, which, if infected, will destroy all the files on your hard drive. I'd avoid this at all costs)_

**Black Death-2 (BD-2):** A deadly virus spreading through the Chosen population. As it mutated from a computer threat designed to destroy all files on a hard drive, the BD-2 eats away at the digital information of what ever it attacks. Digimon and Chosen infected have their bodies literally eaten away. For at least 90 percent of the Chosen, there is no cure.

**Synthetic Digital Energy Accelerator (S-DEA):**: A device designed to infuse digimon with artificial digital energy so they can remain on Earth. This device gives them the energy needed to stay in the real world, but leaves them weak.

**The X-Antibody:** A special program designed to cure and protect Chosen from the BD-2 virus, however, only a few digimon are compatible. The X-Antibody mutates a digimon, giving them a new appearance, attacks, evolution lines, ect. Only 10 percent of the remaining Chosen have been modified.

**Deceased Chosen:** Koushiro Izumi, Takeru Takashi, Daisuke Motomiya, Miyako Inoe, Ken Ichijoji, Iori Hida, two of the Poi Brothers from China, Lola from Russia, Steve from America.

**Infected Chosen:** Sora, from Japan, Noriko, Hiroshi, Takashi, Keiko from the Dark Seed kids, Catherine from France, Tatum, Maria and Sam from America, Mina from India

**Chosen modified by the X-Antibody:** Taichi, Yamato, Hikari, Jyou, from Japan, Michael and Mimi from America, Chichos from Mexico, Dingo from Australia, one of the Poi Brothers and Yuehon from China, Yuri from Russia.


	2. Prologue: The Face of Darkness

_Digimon Apocalypse:_

_ The Face of Darkness_

            Despite Jyou's original desire to wait until help had arrived, he and Gomamon X had secretively remained near the Digitalatri's main church. They had stayed hidden in the forests until Miayag had returned, with a fresh group of infected Chosen.

            "Jeeze, she doesn't quit, does she?" Gomamon X sighed.

            "Wait a second," Jyou said, narrowing his eyes as he peered through the window, "Isn't that Tatum and Sam?"

            "From Mimi's group?" Gomamon X asked, "What are they doing here?"

            "Shh!" Jyou hissed, "She's starting to talk."

            Miayag faced the crowd and once again began to speak. "My fellow Chosen, those infected by the BD-2, you have taken the first step to healing yourself of the deadly virus!" She began to move her arms in the same rhythmic manner as before, speaking loudly, "To be healed, my fellow Chosen, you must accept the Digital God as your own!

            "Jyou!" Gomamon X gasped, "Are we just gonna sit here and let this happen?"

            "What can we do?" he asked, "They have the right to worship who they want; it's not up to us to tell them otherwise."

            "But…but…." The small digimon growled and turned back to the window.

            Miayag was still talking. "But I have a special gift, one that can only be bestowed upon the most worthy Chosen." She began to walk through the crowd of infected Chosen when she stopped in front of Tatum and Sam. "You two…"

            "We're gonna stop her now, right?" Gomamon X asked.

            Jyou hesitated. "Um…I…."

            The two American Chosen stared up at her. "W…what do you mean?" Sam asked.

            Miayag's Witchmon walked over with two bright blue orbs in her hands. "Take these, and merge them with your digivice, then you shall be cleansed and powered!"

            Tatum and Sam glanced at each other, then at their partners. "Whatever you decide, I'll go along with it," Sam's Flare Lizamon said.

            Tatum's Airdramon nodded. "Yes, me too."

            The two Chosen hesitated a moment longer, then reached for the blue orbs.

            "Jyou!" Gomamon X hissed, "Jyou!"

            He did not answer, only continued to stare forward.

            "Jyou!" Gomamon X said again, "You're not gonna let them do it, right?"

            Finally, the Chosen rose to his feet and leapt through the first floor window, landing hard on the wooden floor. Gomamon X followed.

            "Tatum, Sam, stop!" Jyou shouted, "You don't know what that will do to you!"

            Miayag pointed her finger at Jyou and Gomamon X. "Look, look my fellow Chosen, look! That is one of the Chosen modified by the X-Antibody! He knows that accepting the Digital God will cure you! That is why he is trying to stop you! He wants to keep you sick, that way you won't be able to stand up against him! He and the other Chosen with the X-Antibody are going to overtake the Digital World! You'll all be his slaves!"

            "Hey, wait a second!" Jyou gasped, waving his hand in front of him, "W…what are you…no, it's nothing like…"

            Miayag mentioned to Tatum and Sam. "You see? Do you now understand?"

            The two American Chosen stared at him. "Jyou, I…I thought you would want us to get better," Tatum said, "Is…is he right?"

            "But you don't know what that is?" he gasped, "It could be worse…"

            "It's your choice then," Miayag said, "Take the Gift of the Digital God and be healed, or continued to put your belief and hope in the medicine that the X-Chosen are giving you, the medicine that isn't working at all! Think about it, you're sick, he's healed, and he's the one that keeps giving you the medicine!"

            "She's right!" Sam gasped. He grabbed the blue orb. Tatum hesitated, but followed her friend. Jyou and Gomamon X tried to call out to them, but it was not any use. Tatum and Sam merged the blue orbs with their digivices. Their bodies suddenly tensed and stiffen as the BD-2 was purged from their bodies. The same happened to their partners, but once they were healed, they began to evolve.

            "Flare Lizamon evolve to Mummymon!"

            "Airdramon evolve to Archnemon!"

            "No!" Gomamon X gasped, "It's just like before!"

            The infected Chosen stared in shock and awe at Tatum and Sam. "Do you see now?" Miayag grinned, "Only the Digital God can save you! If you wish to be save…" She pointed at Jyou and Gomamon X, "…get rid of them!"

            "Leave it to us," Sam grinned, "Mummymon!"

            Tatum clenched her fists, "Archnemon!"

            "Attack!" they both shouted at once.

            Both digimon were poised to attack, but the front doors were suddenly blown off of their hinges. The Chosen took cover, but Archnemon and Mummymon stood their ground. Through the dust and debris, they could see a young man with shoulder-length blond hair standing near Jyou and Gomamon X. They ran forward to attack, but a blue streak suddenly shot in front of them. They could just make out a large blue wolf leaping about the church. The wolf darted around quickly and jumped behind them. Before they could turn around, the wolf smashed his feet into their backs, sending them crashing head-first into the floor. Once the dust had finally settled, Jyou, Gomamon X, and the two mysterious rescuers were gone.

111

            After her shower, Sora dressed in a simple pair of shorts and a red t-shirt. Due to her foot, she was having trouble moving around her apartment, every time she put weight on her injured limb, it shot pain through her entire body. She did manage to reach her medicine cabinet and had to fish inside for the Aspirin, but finally found it. She read the directions on the side, "For adults, take 1 capsule every 4 hours unless symptoms persist. Do not take more then six capsules in twelve hours unless instructed to do so by a doctor. If systems persist, contact your physician."

            She ignored the warning and took three capsules. She was in so much pain that she easily downed the three without any water. She then threw the capsules back into the cabinet and limped into the living room. Piyomon was lying on the couch, her eyes weakly staring at the television. The red-headed young woman smiled as she fell onto the couch. Her partner turned to her. "D…did you call Jyou yet?"

            "He wasn't there, so I left a message on his machine," she frowned, "I hope he gets it soon."

            Piyomon forced a smile. "Hey, don't worry, we'll get through this. You'll see, we'll be fine."

            She sighed. "I hope so."

111

            Jyou sighed as he leaned back against one of the trees filling the forest. He turned to Gomamon X and sighed. "See, I told you we shouldn't have interfered."

            "Well, excuse me!" he said, "I was just trying to help our friends!"

            The Chosen sighed and turned towards the blond haired man. "Yamato, thanks for the save."

            The other Chosen smiled slightly. "Hey, I was in the neighborhood, but was that Archnemon and Mummymon with Tatum and Sam?

            Jyou sighed deeply. "Yeah, it was."

            "Damn it," he said, "Those Digitalatri are gaining more and more Chosen, they're even turning our friends against us! But I thought Tatum and Sam were infected with the BD-2, how did their digimon mange to evolve?"

            "It's something Miayag and her Witchmon gave them," Gomamon X said.

            Yamato sighed deeply. "I just wish that more of the Chosen could use the X-Antibody."

            "Yeah," Jyou said, "But it does mutate our digimon." He glanced at Gomamon X, who, while resembling a normal Gomamon, had a tuff of red hair on his chest, longer red hair on his head and cuter.

            Yamato nodded and glanced over at Gabumon X. He looked like a normal Gabumon, except that his left claw was much longer, fangs in his mouth, and a tougher look to his face. "Well, any ideas?"

            "I think Taichi needs to know about this," Jyou said.

            Yamato frowned. "Taichi…"

            "Look, I know that he hasn't been…friendly, lately, but he'll know what to do."

            The blond boy sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

111

Taichi stumbled out of his room. Hikari was already in the kitchen, placing breakfast on the table. "Good morning," she smiled.

            "Oh man," he said, rubbing his forehead, "I've got one kick ass headache."

            "You did come home drunk last night."

            "I did?" he said, falling into his seat.

            "Yes, you did," she responded, placing a coffee mug on the table before him.

            "Thanks," he said.

            "Oh, by the way," she said, "Jyou wanted to talk to you."

            "Jyou?" he asked, "What for?"

            She shrugged. "I don't know. Do you…uh…remember what we talked about last night?"

            He shook his head  "No…I don't even remember coming home. I did come home right, you didn't have to come get me, right?"

            "No," she shook her head, "You were very responsible and came home in a cab."

            He smiled slightly. "You sound just like Mom…"

            She smiled back. "I'll take that as a compliment."    

            He began to eat his breakfast. "This is pretty good."

            "Thanks."

            "So, what are you doing today?"

            She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Plotmon and I'll just hang out around here or something…"

            The telephone began to ring. Hikari walked over lifted it off of the receiver. "Hello, Yagami residence…Oh, hi Jyou. Yeah, he's right here…" She handed him the phone, "It's for you."

            Taichi swallowed his meal and placed the phone against his head. "Hello? Hey Jyou, what's…Yeah…what? Yeah…all right, I'll be right there…"

            "What's up?" Hikari asked.

            "We've got a major problem," he said, "Agumon and I were going to see him, can you and Plotmon come too?"

            She blinked a few times. "Uh, yeah, sure…"

            He nodded. "All right, we're leaving in five minutes…"

111

            Maria panted heavily as she crawled along the ground, her blue skirt was torn and ragged, her jacket old and discolored, there was mud and sand plastered to her face, her hair was scraggly and unclean, but the pain that was the worst was her leg stubs, bandaged with dirty blue rags made from portions of her skirt, were dragging along the ground.

            She crawled past other Chosen, who only gave her a passing glance. She did not feel angry or resentful towards them, most of them barely had the energy to lift their heads. She may have lost her lower legs, but she still had energy to at least crawl.

            She eventually made her way to the alley that had been serving as her 'home' with Tatum and Sam. She frowned when she thought of her friends who abandoned her just so they could go and believe in some cult.

            "Maria!"

            She turned around as best she could and saw her Centarumon towering over her. "I told you not to move."

            The girl only smiled and continued to crawl until she reached the rag-covered box that was serving as her bed. "I just went to get some water."

            "You really need to be careful," he said, trotting into the alley, "I know you don't like hearing this, but you can't move very fast, and if someone decided to attack you…"

            "I know, I know," she sighed, "But…if I stop, if I let everyone carry me, then…then it's like I've given up."

            Centarumon smiled reassuringly, "I understand that, but I still worry about you."

            She nodded. "I know. Um, did you find out where Tatum and Sam went?"

            He nodded. "I heard some rumors that the Digitalatri have their base in the Eastern Hemisphere."

            "Oh," she frowned, "How are we going to get there?"

            "Well," he said, "We can travel to the shoreline, and there we should be able to find a ferry or at least a Whamon to take us across to the Eastern Continent, and then we should be able to find out more information."

            Maria hesitated, then nodded. "All right, let's do it."

111

            The Yagami children and their digimon partners arrived in the City of Ylicis. Agumon X was similar to a regular Agumon except his claws and tail were longer. Plotmon X, on the other hand, looked very different: while regular Plotmon resembled a dog, Plotmon X was definitely a puppy, with a large ring around her neck.

            Once the small group entered the town, they stared out at hundreds of Chosen that lay dying in the streets. Hikari gasped loudly and placed her hands over her mouth. Her brother placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Come on, we'd better find Jyou." He glanced at the two digimon, "And we can't let them know you're X-Digimon, we're not exactly the most well-liked people anymore."

            "Yeah," Agumon X said, crossing his arms, "And it sucks!"

            Taichi just rubbed his head and the small group cautiously walked through the streets. Most of the infected Chosen were too weak and sick to even give them a passing glance, but a few of the ones where the virus had not spread so far gave them hate-filled glances, but did not say anything.

            They found Jyou and Yamato waiting in the center of town. "You came," Yamato said. He glanced at Jyou, "What do you know, I guess I owe you a lunch."

            Taichi frowned at him. "What's going on?"

            "Digitalatri's managed to coerce a bunch of our friends into joining them," Jyou explained, "And somehow their leader, Miayag, made their partners evolve to our old enemies, Metalseadramon, Archnemon and Mummymon."

            "What?" Hikari gasped.

            Taichi raised his eyebrow. "How?"

            Jyou shook his head. "I don't know."

            The other Chosen frowned. "I bet Koushiro would know."

            The others sighed and frowned. "But he's not here," Hikari managed to say, "So, we're just going to do it ourselves."

            Taichi nodded. "All right, so why don't you take us to their base?"

            "That's probably a good place to start," Plotmon X added.

111

            Catherine smiled weakly as the maid placed the tray of food on the small stand near her bed. "Here you are _Madame,_" she said, giving a small bow in her maid uniform before exiting the room.

            Catherine pushed herself into a sitting position so she could eat her dinner with ease. She looked over to the other side of the bed. "Floramon, dinner."

            The plant digimon crawled out from beneath the sheets. "Oh, I fell asleep, didn't I?"

            "It's okay," the French girl smiled. She handed her a small bed tray, "here you are."

            "Thank you," Floramon said. Catherine frowned as she watched her partner eat. Due to the BD-2, she was missing pieces of her green skin, along with the red petals around her neck.

            Catherine then glanced at herself. She had lost much of her beauty from the virus; red splotches littered her face, her hair was missing, and the fingers on her left hand were missing. Whenever she went out she was forced to wear a wig or a hat, long-sleeve shirt, gloves, and pants or an ankle-length skirt. She generally stayed inside during the summer, ever since she caught the virus two years ago. She was one of the lucky ones: she caught a version of the virus that progressed slower, so while she would live longer, she was forced to watch as the BD-2 slowly ate away at her body. She thought of the other Chosen, who were wasting away in the Digital World, forced to remain there because they could not afford the Synthetic Digital Energy Accelerator. Due to her family's wealth, she could afford the best doctors in the world, but they could do nothing for her. She frowned.

            "Something wrong?" Floramon asked.

            The French girl shrugged slightly. "I…I'm not hungry."

            "You should eat, the chef made it for you."

            She smiled slightly. "Yes, I know."

            "What's wrong?" Floramon asked, "Really?"

            She hesitated a moment before speaking. "I wish I could help the other Chosen in the Digital World."

            "Oh," Floramon frowned, "Yes, I wish I could as well, but how?"

            "I don't know…we just need to find ze right doctors to make a cure…" She smiled slightly, "Doctors or computer scientists."

            "I'm sure there's a way we can help," she said, "But right now you need to eat."

            Catherine smiled and reached for her own food.

111

            "Why do you keep looking at me?" Taichi asked.

            Yamato shrugged. "Well, I haven't heard from you in almost a year, and you just show up out of the blue…"

            "You said you needed my help…"

            "Yeah, I know, but it's still weird to have you here…"

            Taichi narrowed his eyes. "Is there a problem with that?"

            "Not really, I guess," he said, "But you think that you could at least tell us what you've been doing."

            "What's to say?" he smiled slowly, "Political science is pretty boring, I can't imagine what I'm gonna do when I get a job."

            "What kind of job?" Yamato asked.

            "He's going to be a politician," Hikari smiled proudly.

            "A politician?" Yamato gasped.

            "What's wrong with that?" Taichi asked.

            "No, nothing, I just…I just kind of figured that you'd end up as some kind of…of Chosen general or something…"

            He frowned. "Why does everyone keep saying this?"

            Hikari giggled slightly. "So, Yamato, what have you been doing lately?"

            He gave a slight smile. "Well, if I thought Taichi's job profession was odd, you're all gonna gasp at mine, I'm going to be an astronaut."

            The others did indeed gasp loudly. "How did you ever come to that conclusion?" Jyou asked, "You should have been a rock star or something."

            "Yeah, that was fun for a hobby, but it doesn't really pay the bills," he shrugged.

            Jyou frowned. "Jeeze, I'm the only one that actually became what everyone thought I would."

            "What about Hikari?" Plotmon X asked, "Or Sora?"

            Yamato glanced at her. "You're a teacher, aren't you?"

            She nodded. "That's right."

            "And Sora's a fashion designer," Taichi added, "Who would have ever guessed."

            Hikari suddenly stopped walking and began to glance around. "What's wrong?" Plotmon X asked.

            "Something's here," she said, looking up at the trees and mountains surrounding them, "I can feel it."

            "So," a sinister, dark, yet familiar voice said, sounded from out of nowhere, "The Child of Light still retains at least some of her original powers. I had my doubts at first, but now I'm certain…"

            "Who's there?" Taichi shouted, "Show yourselves!"

            A rainbow of light suddenly exploded from atop the tree branches, revealing a group of seven figures draped in capes and cowls of various colors: five were males, dressed in yellow, black, purple, blue and orange and the last two were definitely females, dressed in green and red. The one in orange stood in the center, his arms crossed, while the one in red was seated on the branch, her legs crossed in a sexual manner. The others all stood in various poses on other tree branches. Each of their faces was hidden beneath the shadows of their hoods.

            "Who the hell are you?" Taichi shouted.

            "We are the future rulers of the Digital World," the one in orange answered, "We are the darkness, the reflections, we are the hate and anger, we are what was cast aside."

            "What are you talking about?" Yamato asked.

            "I always hated poetry," Jyou sighed.

            The one in orange continued. "We're here to see the power of the ex-chosen…"

            "What are you talking about?" Hikari asked, "We're still Chosen…"

            He started to chuckled. "You misunderstand me, you have been modified by the X-Antibody, correct? That would make you X-Chosen."

            "What are you doing here?" Taichi shouted again.

            "We came to see the power of the X-antibody," the one in purple said.

            Agumon X leapt forward, "You want me to kick your butt, 'cause I'm sure I can!"

            "I wouldn't want my digimon partner to soil his hands," the one in orange continued.

            "Why you little!" the yellow dinosaur shouted. He ran forward, but Gabumon X and Gomamon X held him back.

            "We're just gonna do a little test," the woman in red said.

            "What kind of test?" Yamato asked.

            The one in orange pointed to the ground. "Them."

            The Chosen and their partners turned their attention to back to the ground where four demonic-looking dragons were now standing.

            "Devidramon!" Jyou gasped.

            "Devidramons," the one in orange answered, "But don't worry too much about their names, they're only here to test your strength and skill."

            Taichi smirked. "Well, not to disappoint you, but we've been doing this kind of thing for more then ten years."

            "Taichi," Hikari whispered, "We don't have time for this…"

            He flashed her a smile. "Hey, no problem, we'll tear through these guys and be on our way, right, Agumon?"

            Agumon X nodded and jumped forward. "You got it!"

            Yamato reached for his digivice. "Gabumon?"

            Gomamon X looked over at his partner. "Well?"

            "I guess we've got no choice," Jyou frowned.

            "I don't want to do this either," Plotmon X said, "But we have somewhere to be…."

            Taichi gripped his digivice tightly. "Evolve, now!"

            "Agumon X evolve to Greymon X!" He was similar to Greymon, except his head and back slouched more, his forearms were longer, and he had more spikes on his helmet.

            "Gabumon X evolve to Garurumon X!" A more feral looking wolf with sharp spikes jutting out of his side, an a longer tail that curled above his back.

            "Gomamon X evolve to Tylomon X!" A long shark-like creature, with an armored helmet and metal flippers.

            "Plotmon X evolve to Tailmon X!" She was similar to a regular Tailmon, except with two tails and her Holy Ring was much larger and hanging around her body.

            "Ah, very interesting," the one in purple said, "Different evolutionary lines and different appearances."

            Greymon X lead the attack against the Devidramons, smashing his head into one of them, causing the other three to separate, where they were met by the other three X-digimon. Tailmon X rammed her foot into one of the devil's heads, sending him off to the right, Garurumon X forced another one to the left, while Tylomon X stayed in the center.

            Greymon X charged at his opponent, ramming his horns into the devil's stomach. However, the Devidramon dug his claws along the dinosaur's back. He flinched in pain, but whipped his jaw around and clamped his jaw around the devil's side. The devil began to flap his wings as hard as he could, trying to free himself, but Greymon X's jaw was like iron. He was finally able to break free when he smashed his horned head into the dinosaur's back. Greymon X had no choice but to release his grip, allowing the Devidramon to hover into the air.

            Garurumon X growled as he circled the Devidramon he was fighting. The devil remained perfectly still as he watched the wolf moving. He waited until he was directly in front of him before throwing his claws forward, but before he could jab them into the wolf's side, Garurumon X leapt into the air, slamming all of his weight down onto Devidramon's back, forcing him to the ground. He snapped his own jaws tightly around his neck, but the Devidramon whipped him off with his tail. Before the wolf was thrown from his back, he made sure his claws dug a fair amount of black skin from the devil dragon.

            Tylomon X, being a digimon that functioned far better in the water, had a difficult time maneuvering around. All he could do was wait until his Devidramon had stopped moving and went to attack. He was coming to attack head on; Tylomon X executed his Torpedo Attack, ramming his head into the dragon's stomach, then twirling around, smacking him with his metal fins.

            Tailmon X, being the most agile out of the ground, was easily able to twist and jump, dodging every attack that Devidramon threw at her. The devil dragon threw his claws at her, but she jumped into the air at the last second, and his claw became jabbed into the ground. Tailmon X dashed up his arm and began to pound the Devidramon's nose as hard as she could.

            "They fight pretty well, don't they?" the woman in red asked, "And the Chosen don't look too bad either…" she smirked, "Especially that Yagami, _oh la la!"_

            The one in orange growled and crossed his arms.

            The one in black nodded. "Yeah, they do pretty well against a strong adult digimon, I wonder how they'd do against a Fully Evolved digimon?"

            "That's not the test," the one in purple said, "We're just testing their power, nothing more."         

            The one in black would have responded, but he just turned back to watch the battle.

            Tailmon X was still leaping and avoiding the attacks from the Devidramon with almost simple ease. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Tylomon X was having difficulty fighting against his own opponent. She then began a series of back flips, forcing the Devidramon to follow her as she brought them closer to Tylomon X's battle. She timed her movements just right so that she was leaping over Tylomon X just as her Devidramon brought his claw to attack at the same time Tylomon X's Devidramon attacked. The two Devidramon's long arms became tangled within each other.

            "I thought you could use some help," the cat said.

            "Yeah, I did have a little disadvantage, huh?"

            The Devidramon growled and rose to their feet, their claws ready to attack. Tailmon X and Tylomon X nodded at each other and quickly executed their special attacks.

            Tailmon X ran up to the Devidramon on the left and began to assault him with a barrage of punches up and down his body. "Cat Punch!" His data was scattered a moment later.

            Tylomon X, slithered back, then was propelled forward at an incredible rate, simply piercing through Devidramon's chest and out the other side, ripping his body apart. "Torpedo Attack!"

            "That's where their power comes from," the one in purple said, "They gain strength from working together."

            Taichi was watching with fierce interest as well. "Greymon, finish this up! We've wasted enough time!"

            Greymon X growled in response. "You've got it Taichi!" He ran forward at his Devidramon, who leapt out of the way. The dinosaur grabbed the devil's tail with his teeth and began to swing him around and around. The devil tried to free himself, but Greymon X was twirling too hard. The dinosaur did release his grip, which sent the Devidramon crashing into one of the largest trees surrounding the battlefield. The dinosaur wasted no time, he spewed forth a massive fireball that smashed into the Devidramon, deleting him instantly.

            Garurumon X was a tad bit more gracefully then Greymon X in his attempts to destroy the devil dragon. He stood in place patiently while the Devidramon dashed around him; when the evil dragon leapt into to attack, Garurumon X dashed to the side, causing his opponent to smack into the ground. The wolf opened his mouth and shot forth a blast of blue light that engulfed the devil dragon, destroying him.

            "I don't know," the one in blue said, "There are some of the Chosen that have more then enough power to fight alone."

            Taichi turned to the seven cloaked figures. "Well?"

            The one in orange began to chuckle. "You did better then I thought."

            "Who are you?" Yamato demanded.

            "You shall know soon," the orange one said, "But before we depart, I have only this to say to you, the times in your life when you're at your lowest, the times when you're about to give up on everything you hold dear, the times when you're about to give in darkness and despair, the times that you eventually overcome and put behind you. But, do those times, those feelings, ever truly disappear, or do they just fester and grow into the nightmares that keep you awake at night?"

            "I hate poetry," Jyou muttered.

            "You said that already," Tylomon X reminded him.

            The one in orange chuckled. "I'm sorry, sometimes I tend to get a bit…philosophical. Farewell X-Chosen, we will meet again."

            The seven figures vanished in the same explosion of colors from whence they came.   "What the hell was that about?" Taichi exclaimed.

            "Oniichan, came down," Hikari said.

            He took a deep breath. "I was made into a science experiment, and I at least want to know why!"

            "Come on," Jyou said, "We'd better get over to the Digitalatri's church before Miayag turns more of our friends against us."

            _To be continued…._


	3. Prologue: The Price of Salvation

Author's note: May not be suitable for young children. There's no sex, but strong language.

_"A religion which requires persecution to sustain it is of the devil's propagation."__Hosea Ballou_

_Digimon__ Apocalypse_

_ The Price of Salvation_

The Second Black Death was decimating the entire Digital World; thousands of Chosen were infected, lying in the streets of the cities, simply waiting to die.

In one of the many cities of the Eastern Hemisphere, Hiroshi coughed loudly, sending bits of his lungs into the rag in his hand. He glanced over at Keiko, Takashi and Noriko. The other three former Dark Seed Chosen were not looking any better. Like most of the Chosen infected with the BD-2, they were missing large portions of their bodies. "Is it worse?" Noriko asked.

            He nodded. "Yeah," he said, barely in a whisper, "Who knows…"

            "Don't talk," Keiko said, "Try to save your strength."

            "Not much strength left," he whispered coarsely, "It's in my lungs, it's not going to be long before I…."

            "Don't say it!" Takashi screamed, putting his hands over his ears, "Don't say it!"

            The others were silent. Takashi's Patamon, who was missing his ears and back legs, looked up to him. "We don't want to say it either, but we can't pretend it's not happening…"

            "You are sick, aren't you?"

            They turned around and found themselves staring up at a young woman with shoulder length brown hair reaching the middle of her back. She was dressed in flowing white robes. The four young adults and their digimon partners tensed at her. She smiled warmly.

            "I mean you no harm. My name is Chihi Miayag, and I have a message for you."

            "What message?" Keiko asked.

            "A message from the God of the Digital World. If you no longer wish to be sick, then come with me, and be healed."

            "I don't know if that's such a good idea…" Noriko started, but her friends were already on their feet and following the strange woman.

111

            "…the times in your life when you're at your lowest, the times when you're about to give up on everything you hold dear, the times when you're about to give in darkness and despair, the times that you eventually overcome and put behind you. But, do those times, those feelings, ever truly disappear, or do they just fester and grow into the nightmares that keep you awake at night?"

            Agumon glanced up at his partner. "What?"

            Taichi shook his head. "That's what that…that guy in the robe said…"

            "You're still thinking about that?"

            "Of course I'm still thinking about that!" he exclaimed.

            Agumon held up his arms. "Hey, I was just asking!"

            "We need to know who those guys are," he said.

            "Maybe we should worry more about Miayag and the Digitalatri," Yamato suggested.

            "I _am_ worrying about them," he replied, "It's just…what he said…what did he mean….?"

            Jyou sighed. "Well, I'm sure we'll eventually find out…we always do…"

            Plotmon X glanced around at the forest landscape. "So, where's the Digitalatri's temple, anyway?"

            "We should be there soon," Gomamon X said.

            "Wait a second," Taichi said, "If we had to walk across half the Digital World, why did you have us use the Digital Gate to bring us to City of Ylicis?"

            Jyou and Yamato glanced at each other. "Um…"

            Taichi sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Jeeze, you guys would've been lost without me."

            Yamato gave him an evil glare, but said nothing.

111

            Sora leaned back against her chair, staring at the drawing on her artists table. The drawing was of a new swimsuit design. She had gotten the inspiration, ironically enough, from the bandages that were now wrapped tightly around her left foot. The suit looked like a regular one-piece suit, but the material looked like over a dozen white bandages wrapped around the female's figure. She thought it was odd that her illness could inspire her, but as long as she could use it to move forward, as long as she did not think about how she would eventually die from it….

            She shook her head forcefully, "No…no, I'm going to survive this….I'm going to survive this….I'm….I'm…." She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall over her office desk, it was six o'clock,"….I'm hungry. I wonder if there's anything left in the 'fridge."

            She started walking by using her right foot, but as she put her weight down on her left foot, she wondered momentarily how long before the BD-2 ate away at her entire foot. She forced that thought out of her head as she hobbled into the kitchen. Piyomon was lying on the couch, watching television.

            "Sora?" the pink bird asked.

            "Just looking for dinner," she explained, peering into the refrigerator, "There's nothing here."

            "We haven't gone shopping in a while," her partner reminded her.

            "I knew it'd be rough after moving out of Mom's house, but I never realized how much she actually did."

            "Like buying food?"

            "Hey, I never really had to worry about it before….what are you watching anyway?"

            "Some romance movie," she said, "It's really not that good."

            Sora smiled and limped over to the phone. "All right, I've got a coupon for…ramen or pizza."

            "I'll take the ramen," Piyomon said, "It'll be easier to eat since I can't really hold pizza…" She held up her wing, which was missing large sections.

            Sora chuckled. "Well, as long as I don't have to _walk_ there…"

            The Chosen and her partner digimon laughed. They forced their laughter to hide their fear and depression. Piyomon frowned. "D…did you call Jyou yet?"

            "I keep getting the machine," she replied, lifting up the phone, "Just…let's try not to think about it, okay?"

            Her partner nodded. "Yeah…okay…"

111

            Maria was jarred awake when her Centarumon tripped over a stone that was lying in the road. The Latino girl yawned as she pushed herself into a sitting position on her partner's back. "D…Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry."

            "Don't be," Centarumon chuckled.

            She gave a return smile even though he could not see her on his back. "I'm sorry, I just don't seem to have any energy lately…"

            "Your body is fighting as hard as it can against the virus," he explained.

            She frowned and looked down to her missing calves and frowned. "Well, I don't think it's doing a very good job."

            Her partner smiled and would have reached around to pat her head reassuringly if his arm had not been eaten away by the BD-2. "Where are we, anyway?" the girl asked.

            "Somewhere in the Western Hemisphere, possibly near File Island."

            "What?" she gasped, "Y…you walked all this way from the shore line?"

            "You wanted to follow Tatum and Sam, didn't you?" he asked.

            "Yes, but that means you've been walking since that Whamon dropped us off, and that was this morning! You must be so tired!"

            "I'm fine, really," he said, "Besides I believe time is of the essence…"

            "But…if you over-exert yourself, then the virus might…"

            Centarumon glanced to his right and saw more then a dozen buildings reaching to the sky. "Maybe we should stop for a moment."

            She nodded. "Yes, I think that's a good idea."

            The centaur digimon trotted over the boundaries of the city. This town was like countless others, sick and dying, the buildings themselves were crumbling. "Where do you want to go?" Centarumon asked.

            Maria glanced around and mentioned to a spot beneath one of the few remaining trees in the city. "Over there."

            Her partner obeyed and brought her to the shady spot. She climbed off of her partner's back and landed gently on her rear. "I'm going to get some information," he explained, "Don't move, I will be right back."

            She sighed and watched as he trotted off. Despite being in the shade, the sun was still baking down on the city. She removed her jacket, revealing her blue t-shirt. She leaned back against the tree and stared out into the city street. Unlike Ylicis, this city actually appeared to still be functioning; merchants still had shops set up in the street, Chosen and digimon were walking, continuing their lives. Nearly all of them had some degree of BD-2, but not anywhere near the extent of Ylicis.

            She suddenly noticed that a large group of Chosen were marching down the street in one direction. She got the attention of a blond man with a Guardromon. "Excuse me, where is everyone going?"

            "I don't know," he shrugged, "Something about a priestess healing people.  Do you want to come?"

            She froze. "Um, I'm just waiting for my partner."

            "Oh, okay. Well, I hope to see you there," he smiled, and continued walking.

            The Hispanic girl continued to watch more and more Chosen walk by, and Centarumon was not anywhere in sight. She should wait for him, but this could be her chance to find out more about Digitalatri. She thought for a moment, then began crawling after the crowd.

            "Maria, is that you?"

            She turned her head and saw a slightly older girl standing behind her. This girl was dressed in a simple yellow sundress and at her feet was a Plotmon, who was missing a large portion of his fur and tail. The girl had BD-2, but not as bad as some of the others: she was missing large portions of her skin, as there were red splotches over her arms and legs, and only a few bursts of black hair were on her head. The Latino girl strained her eyes and smiled. "Oh, Noriko, hi."

            The other girl knelt down. "Here, let me help you."

            Maria was about to protest, but the Japanese girl lifted her onto her back. "All right, where are you going?"

            She mentioned after the crowd. "Where they're going."

            Noriko tensed. "You're…you're going to…to see them…?"

            "The cult took Tatum and Sam, I want to know what happened."

            "Well, they took Hiroshi, Keiko and Takashi," the black-haired girl replied, "Say, where's Centarumon?"

            "He said he was going to ask around," she said.

            Noriko turned to her own partner. "Plotmon, go and find him."

            He nodded. "I'll be back soon."

            The Japanese girl began to walk after the other Chosen. "How long has it been since you lost….you know…"

            Maria sighed, "It's been two months, but the virus has slowed down since it's eaten most of the uninfected cells already."

            "I'm sorry," she said, "I wish I could help somehow…"

            "You're infected too," she said.

            "I'm still okay, though," she said, "It's not like I….you know…."

            "Know?"

            "I…I haven't lost any limbs. I'm sorry…"

            "Don't be," Maria answered, "It's not your fault." She glanced around when she noticed that they had left the boundaries of the city. "Where are we going anyway?"

            "I think we're going to their temple or church," Noriko explained.

            Maria smiled. "Maybe Tatum and Sam will be there!"

            "And I hope Hiroshi, Keiko, and Takashi are there too," the black-haired girl said, "But I'm afraid about what happened to them."

            "Me too," Maria said, "There's something very dark about the Digitalatri, something very….wrong…."

            Noriko glanced to the girl on her back and saw that she was staring at something off to the side. She turned as well to see two people she did not expect to see. "Tatum, Sam?" She twisted her head as best she could to see Maria, who was still staring forward.

            "Tatum…Sam…" the Hispanic girl said, "What…are you…?"

            Her two fellow American Chosen grinned as they pointed over their shoulders. Maria and Noriko turned around and gasped loudly. They could see their partners, Centarumon and Plotmon being held by Archnemon and Mummymon.

            Maria spun back. "Where did Archnemon and Mummymon come from?"

            "They're our partners," Tatum responded, codly.

            "What?" the Hispanic girl gasped, "Tatum? Sam? W…what are you talking about?"

            "The priestess Miayag wants you to see the power of the Lone God of the Digital World," Sam said, "And you don't have a choice."

111

            Catherine sighed to herself as she stared at her reflection. She was dressed in a black evening dress that flowed past her ankles. It was a low-cut dress, showing her shoulders and a fair amount of cleavage, which unfortunately, revealed more then a fair amount of the missing skin as a result of the BD-2. She handled that problem by covering her upper torso with a deep black scarf to match her dress, and make-up covered the splotches on her face, and the elbow-length gloves covered her missing fingers, but the major problem was her hair.

            She stared in the mirror and adjusted the blond wig on her head. To Floramon it looked like her original hair had grown back, but the French girl could only stare at the wig, which to her, looked ridiculously fake. She growled and threw it to the ground,

            "What's wrong?" Floramon asked.

            "I can't do zis!" she gasped, "I can't! I'm…I'm so ugly!"

            Her partner walked over and placed a hand around her shoulder. "Come on, you're not ugly."

            The French girl began to cry softly. "But…."

            Her partner interrupted her. "There's more to someone then just their looks," she responded, "You never really had to worry about that before…"

            "What do you mean by that?" she exclaimed.

            Her partner flinched. "Um..I…w…what I mean is that…"

            "I waz only concerned wit' my looks before?" she shouted.

            "No! No, I…I…."

            The former blond girl sighed deeply. "Well, you're right. I was."

            Floramon did not say anything as Catherine continued to speak.

            "I just feel as though I am being punished…"

            "It's not your fault," Floramon protested, "Don't blame yourself because you were infected, you didn't do anything wrong."

            The French girl fell onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. "I just wish I could turn back time."

            Her partner smiled and climbed onto the bed with her. She did not speak, only comforted her friend.

111

            When Taichi and the others finally arrived at the Digitalatri's church, they cautiously peered through the missing stain-glass windows. The leader of the Digitalatri was standing before the assembled mess of infected Chosen and Digimon seated within the pews. "Is that her?" Taichi asked.

            "Yeah," Jyou said, "That's Miayag."

            Hikari squinted her eyes as she focused on the strange prophetess. She was dressed in a light pink cape, and a white dress that showed more then a hint of rather large breasts. She had an attractive body for a young woman, while at the same time she had a touch of masculinity in her figure. She had messy brown hair that flowed around her shoulders, her eyes were light brown, and her face was pretty, but there was a tomboyish tint to it.

            Hikari turned to her brother. "Taichi…?"

            He nodded. "Yeah, I know."

            "What?" Yamato asked.

            "There's something familiar about her," Taichi responded.

            The blond man turned back to the prophetess and stared at her face. Something sparked in his mind. "Hey, you're right, she does look familiar, but who?"

            Jyou strained his eyes as he stared at her. "I don't see anything…"

            "Me either," Gomamon X said.

            Plotmon nodded. "No, there's something….something…." Her voice trailed off. Hikari looked down to her and saw that she was staring directly at Miayag. The Digitalatri leader was moving her arms in the same manner as before. The younger Yagami sibling stared at the prophetess and felt a strange feeling overcome her as she watched the rhythmic movements of her arms.

            "Hikari?" Taichi asked, "Hikari?"

            She did not respond, so he pushed her in the shoulder lightly. She blinked a moment and shook her head. "W…what?"

            "You zoned out," he explained.

            "I…I did?" she asked, placing a hand on her head.

            Jyou's eyes shot open. "What?" Gomamon X asked.

            "It's her!" he said, mentioning to Miayag, "Her dancing, it's…mesmerizing…"

            "What's she doing now?" Gabumon X asked.

            They turned their attention back to the Digialatri's church. Miayag was in the midst of addressing the congregation. "If you wish to be saved, then you must embrace the God of the Digital World, The Being above all Beings, the Creator of All! You have bowed before the Sovereigns, and where are they now? They are false! Renounce your pagan beliefs and embrace the lone god, and be saved!"

            She tilted her head down to stare at three Japanese children and their digimon partners kneeling before her. "Keiko, Takashi, Hiroshi, do you wish to be saved?"

            Takashi agreed, while Hiroshi nodded slightly at Keiko. The slightly overweight girl stared at Miayag. "I speak for myself and Hiroshi, since he can't, and we wish to be saved."

She nodded. "Yes, and so you will, but to you the God of the Digital World shall give you the greatest power he has bestowed upon his followers. However, you must first prove your worth…" She mentioned to the altar behind her, where the congregation and the X-Chosen watching through the window, could now see that Noriko, Maria were tied and bound in the center; their digimon had been regressed to their Child forms, and all were being guarded by Tatum, Sam, and their new partners, Archnemon and Mummymon.

            "Noriko?" Takashi gasped.

            "That's right," Miayag grinned, "If you want to prove yourselves to receive the Digital God's greatest gift, then you must kill them!"

            Outside, Hikari gasped, and placed a hand over her mouth. Yamato growled and clenched his fists. "Gabumon, get ready to…"

            "No, wait!" Taichi ordered.

            The blond man stared at him. "What?"

            "Taichi…" Agumon X said.

            "We don't know what they're gonna do," he said, "If you interfere without just cause then all you're gonna do is make more trouble later on."

            Yamato stared at him. "Wow, you don't sound like the Taichi I remember."

            "It's all those political science classes," Agumon X responded, "All they taught him was how to keep his own ass safe."

            Taichi slapped the back of the small dinosaur's head.

            Back inside of the church, Takashi, Noriko and Hiroshi stared in horror at Maria and especially Noriko, who was staring back at them in equal horror. "Takashi…" she gasped, staring at her young friend. She turned to the other girl. "Keiko…" They only turned away. When she turned to Hiroshi, the young man stared at her with unemotional eyes. He nodded at Keiko and Takashi, who nodded slowly as well.

            Keiko struggled to speak. "W…we choose their deaths."

            Miayag smiled. "Excellent." She walked forward and handed Hiroshi a sharp dagger. "Began…"

            The Japanese young man stepped forward the dagger glistening in the evening light. He approached Noriko, who continued to plead with her eyes. Behind her, Centarumon's child form, Patamon, and Noriko's partner, Plotmon, stood defensively in front of Maria. Hiroshi's eyes were cold as he moved the knife into position at Noriko's neck.

            Suddenly, a large section of the wall was blown apart as four Adult X-Digimon charged inside; Greymon X, Tailmon X, Tylomon X, and Garurumon X. "What is the meaning of this?" Miayag demanded.

            Tatum and Sam ordered their digimon partners into battle. The members of the church scrambled to escape the crossfire between the X-Chosen and the Digitaltri warriors. While Fully Evolved digimon like Archnemon and Mummymon were stronger then an Adult digimon, four Adult digimon modified by the X-Antibody were more then a match for them, and they were quickly defeated.

            Miayag stared at Hiroshi, Takashi and Keiko, then screamed at her partner. "Witchmon! Give them the orbs!"

            "But," Keiko said, "We didn't…"

            "No, but you have proven your worth, and that power is needed now."

            Socerymon marched over to them and handed the three Chosen glowing orbs. "Place these over your digivices," he explained.

            The three former Dark Seed Chosen did not question as they did as they were told. Their bodies began to quake in agony, while their digimon partners began to glow with bright light.

            "Taichi!" Jyou warned, "They've accepted the power! Stop them before their partners evolve!"

            Taichi nodded at the others. "Let's go!"

            They charged through the church, heading towards the three Chosen. Taichi and Greymon X were in the lead, and their focus was Hiroshi and his Penmon was glowing.

            "Take Penmon out!" Taichi order.

            The large dinosaur nodded and swung his claws at the small digimon; Penmon held up his flippers and Greymon X's attack simply stopped. The dinosaur watched in horror as the blue penguin grew taller and lankier, turning into a human form. Black and white makeup appeared on his face and a sword appeared in his hands. With a swing of this sword, Greymon X was sent flying backwards, smashing into the other digimon.

            "Piedmon!" Hikari shouted, "It's…it's Piedmon!"

            Yamato swung his attention to Keiko and Takashi's partners, who had evolved to Mugen Dramon and Pinocchimon respectively. "Oh crap…" he muttered.

            Miayag laughed as she stood on the altar. "As you can see, you are quite outnumbered. Now, prepare for your execu…" She trailed off when she noticed the dagger that she had given Hiroshi was now pressed firmly against the front of her neck. She slowly glanced over her shoulder and saw Taichi standing behind her, holding the knife tightly. "Yagami!"

            "Now listen, you little bitch," he said, "You let us walk out of here with Noriko and Maria, and you keep your neck."

            "Don't be a fool!" she laughed, "With three Final Level digimon and two Fully Evolved digimon, you'll be dead before you can slice my skin."

            Taichi laughed. "I'm pretty fast. You'll be dead before me. Wanna take that chance?"

            Miayag swallowed hard. "Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi, Tatum, Sam, stand down and let them pass."

            Her servants followed their orders. Taichi mentioned to his Chosen. "Jyou, Yamato, get Noriko and Maria."

            "Now that's the Taichi I remember," Yamato smiled as he untied Maria and her Patamon. He hoisted her onto his back, but she glanced at Tatum and Sam.

            "Please, come with us."

            Tatum shook her head. "No. Now get out of here before Lady Miayag changes her mind."

            The young Hispanic girl held back her tears as Yamato carried her from the building. Taichi waited until the others had safely evacuated before he slowly forced Miayag to the front door. Once he was in position, he kicked the Digitalatri leader to the ground before charging out of the building.

            Keiko and Takashi helped her to her feet, while Hiroshi was about to run after Taichi, but Miayag held him back. "Stop!"

            He turned and gave her a questioning stare. "Let them go for now," she said, rising to her feet, "They will be destroyed, when the wrath of the Digital God rains down upon them!"

            _To be continued….._


	4. The Book of Pestilence: Chapter 1

_My name is Taichi Yamagi, I'm only 24-years-old, and I already wish I was younger. I remember watching t.v. one day, some talk show or something, I don't know, it was like two or three in the morning, anyway, they were asking people if they could be any age they wanted, what age would it be? Every child said they wanted to be older, but every middle-aged person wanted to be a young adult again. Strange that I'm the age everyone wants to be at, but I want to be younger. It's not that I'm worried about getting older or anything, my wish to be a kid again has to do with how much happier I was as one._

_            I mean, when I was ten I was already part of a team that was destined to save Earth and the Digital World. And even though we were facing life and death situations, I still loved it. Well, maybe that's too strong a word, but I did enjoy myself a little too much. I mean, I felt like it was what I was born to do. Four years after that summer, a group of younger kids took over defending both worlds. I was a little bummed, but I got over it. I then started to like the idea of teaching someone else how to be a hero, and let's face it, those guys needed it, especially Daisuke…_

_            Daisuke…I still remember the day the BD-2 killed him. I think it was the saddest day of my life. Hikari always told me that I didn't handle my emotions too well, and I think she's right, I was ready to destroy every tree at the cemetery he was buried at. _

_            Koushrio had already died, and losing Daisuke was more then I could handle. I just kind of…disappeared from life. I even moved away from Odaiba, settling in Shinjuku. I was supposed to go to college, but my heart just wasn't in it anymore. My friends, the ones that were still alive, I mean, just weren't important anymore. I hardly spoke to my parents, but what young adult who finally got a place of his one wants to talk to his parents? I mean, I still made sure to send them cards on holidays and birthdays, I had to because my mother would have killed me..KILLED me if I forgot her birthday. Hikari was really the only one I stayed in close contact with, and after she graduated from college and got a teaching job in Shinjuku, I offered her part of my apartment until she saved up enough to get her own. She kept trying to get me to see the others, but after a while she gave up. I really didn't even think about them too much._

_            That was until I saw Sora again. I couldn't believe how much she grew up. Then Jyou called me completely out of the blue. He and Yamato were tracking the church of Digitalatri, which grew from the fear of the BD-2._

_The Digitalatri, headed by the mysterious prophetess Chihi Miayag, renounced the Sovereigns: Qinglongmon, Zhuqioamon, Baihumon and Xuwanamon, instead worshiping the supreme God of the Digital World. Using his power, Miayag was able to convert Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi of Japan, Tatum and Sam of New York, James of England and Vicente of Mexico to her side, giving them digimon partners who were the evolutionary forms of former Chosen enemies: Piedmon, Pinocchimon, Mugen Dramon, Archnemon, Mummymon, Metalseadramon and Skull Satanmon._

_            Then came those guys in the colored cloaks. They wanted to see our X-Antibody powers and used us as lab rats! Something evil is happening to the Digital World, and I swear that I'm not going to ignore it anymore._

_Digimon Apocalypse:_

_Book of Pestilence_

_Chapter 1_

The Digital World was a mirror version of Earth, with digital areas corresponding to terran areas. An inaccessible island in the center of all landmasses, with four major continents, including Server, encompassing it and with thousands of smaller islands scattered around. The Western hemisphere of the Digital World was more alike to the Western culture of Earth, the Eastern hemisphere of the Digital World was more alike to the Eastern culture of Earth. The Northern Hemisphere was cold and windy, while the Southern Hemisphere was deserted and abandoned.

            In a southern area of the Eastern Hemisphere sat a city named Ausata, populated by Chosen and Digimon that spoke a variety of languages, mostly a dialect of English. This city had it's share of infected citizens, but the sea water that flowed onto his banks served as a way to slow down the disease, only slightly, but the water and sun were enough to make them comfortable with their fate.

            Dingo, a Chosen from Australia, was one of the Chosen modified by the X-Antibody, and, like most of the other X-Chosen, he tried as best he could to make the infected Chosen as comfortable as possible while Jyou and others searched for a cure. He was seated on a green lawn chair, facing the ocean, but his eyes were focused on the scantly-clad females wandering around the beach. He focused on a spiky-brown-haired girl with a Gizamon as a partner. She was wearing a blue bikini that barely covered her breasts and while covering her bottom, it left her thighs completely exposed. She was missing her right arm, and after blocking the sun with his hand and squinting his eyes, he could see that she was missing her ears as well. He would not have cared if the BD-2 had taken away all her limbs and destroyed her hair, she still would have been beautiful to him. Then again, any girl with a figure like hers he would have fallen instantly in love with.

            She had just gotten out of the water and lay down on her blue beach towel while her Gizamon applied sun lotion to her body. He stared with interest as her back began lathered up, followed by her arm, legs, and nearing to her….

            His face was suddenly covered by a blast of hot sand. He spit the ground out of his mouth and wiped his eyes. He saw Ganimon X, a large, blue crab, laughing at him from a hole in the beach. "Ya should have seen that look on your face!"

            "Ya sand-brain!" he shouted, "What the hell was that for?"

            "Oh come on," Ganimon X said, "Jus' havin' a little fun."

            Dingo lightly kicked him aside and turned his attention back to the blond girl, only to find that she was gone. He started to turn his head quickly from left to right before he spotted her again. She and her Gizamon were walking to the small snack bar which was being managed by a Meramon, who was easily grilling burgers to temperature in mere seconds. He continued to gaze at her, but his attention was turned away by a sight that was quite surprising; a figure draped in an orange cloak, his head hidden deep within the shadows of the hood. "What the hell is that guy doin' wearing somethin' like that?"

            "What's wrong with it?" Ganimon X asked.

            Dingo gave him an odd glance. "It's got to be at least a hundred degrees right now."

            "So what?" his partner asked, "Let him be crazy if he wants…"

            He shook his head in annoyance and turned back, only to discover that the strange cloak-wearer was seated at the snack bar, drinking some concoction of tropical fruit, while casting gazes at the brown-haired, blue-bikini-wearing girl. Dingo frowned and narrowed his gaze.

111

            Taichi pushed open the door and flipped the switch, illuminating the apartment. "And here we are…the lovely castle Yagami."

            The girl resting on his back chuckled as she leaned forward so he could bring her inside easier. "Thank you for hospitality."

            He shrugged, but continued walking. Behind them, Hikari shut the door once they and their digimon were inside. As soon as the brown-haired girl stepped inside, she felt a blast of cold air. "Oh, I forgot to turn off the air conditioning."

            "That's why my hair's standing up on ends, huh?" Plotmon X asked, trotting inside.

            Hikari ran over and turned the air conditioning until to off, then walked into the kitchen. "Uh, Maria, are you hungry?"

            Taichi placed Maria down on the couch, where she was soon joined by her Patamon. "W…what do you have?"

            Hikari opened the refrigerator. "Well, we have chicken, pork, fish, leftover pizza…."

            The Hispanic girl's eyes opened wide and she stared at her partner. "Wow….Patamon, when we were on our own before we went to live in the Digital World, we never had that much food in our refrigerator…"

            Taichi laughed as he disappeared down the hall. "That's only because Hikari remembers to buy food."

            His younger sister began to blush. "Well…that's probably because of my mother. She would always make sure that the refrigerator was full."

            The other girl shrugged. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, some fish would sound good."

            "Yeah, that sounds great," her Patamon said, flapping his ears to hover into the air.

            The brown haired young woman turned to her brother and the other digimon. "What about you guys?"

            "That sounds great," Taichi shouted from down the hall, while the other digimon nodded. Hikari smiled and began to pull a pan out of the cabinet.

            "What are you doing?" Maria asked, "Y…you have to cook it?"

            She nodded. "Yes…oh, did you want sushi? Well, I don't really have the stuff for that…."

            "No, I…I thought it was leftovers," she explained, "If you have to cook it, then…please do not go to that much trouble…"

            "Oh, it's no problem at all," she said, "Really…"

            "Yeah," Agumon X said, "Mrs. Yagami taught Hikari how to cook too."

            Maria tried to protest again, but Hikari shook her head. "No, it's okay, really."

            Taichi reappeared from the hall and approached the Hispanic girl. "Okay, the bath is ready and I got some of Hikari's clothes for you."

            "Bath?" she asked.

            "Yeah," he said, "No offense, but you really need one."

            Hikari appeared from the kitchen. "What my brother means is, you are our guest, please, relax and enjoy yourself."

Maria smiled warmly. "Thank you."

            Taichi hoisted her onto his back and carried her into the bathroom. "Um…will you be okay, or should I…?"

            She blushed. "No, I…I will be okay," she said, "Thank you."

            "I'll be right outside if you need anything," he said, closing the door.

111

            Yamato smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about this, I know it's not much to look at."

            Noriko glanced around the messy apartment. Clothes and other garments were strewn about the living room, piles of dust were collecting on the tops of the shelves, the dishes in the sink had actually dissolved in the water, and small piles of food appeared to be attached to the floor. "Uh, no, it's…fine."

            The blond smiled. "You don't have to lie, it's a pig-sty, I know." He slapped his hands together and mentioned to the hall. "The, uh, bathroom is down there, as well as the bed. I'll be camping out on the couch."

            "Do you have anything to eat?" Noriko's Plotmon asked.

            Yamato's Gabumon X paled. "Uh…well…the stuff that's in the fridge probably isn't edible anymore…."

            The young man rubbed his chin. "Well, tell you what, you can make yourselves at home, and I'll run out and buy some real food, how's that?"

            "Oh, uh, you don't have to…"

            He waved his hands. "Hey, it's no problem. I'll be right back."

            Noriko watched him leave, then sighed. She felt like a shower, so she walked into the bathroom, only to find that it looked even worse then the living room. "Is there even a clean towel in here?"

            Gabumon X shook his head. "Probably not."

111

            Sora had fallen asleep on the couch when she heard a loud pounding on her door. She fell out of the couch, and was afraid that she was not going to be able to get back up, but she managed to limp to the door. When she opened it, she gave a surprised gasped. "J..Jyou?"

            The older Chosen leapt inside and helped to support her. "I came over as soon as I got your message. I'm sorry, we had a….problem, in the Digital World?"

            "What?" she asked.

            He shook his head. "That's not important now." He glanced down at her foot, or rather, her _missing_ left foot. "Sora, why didn't you tell me you had BD-2?"

            She searched for a answer, and had to turn away from his gaze. "I…I don't know. I…I guess I didn't want to accept it…"

            He nodded patiently like the doctor he had become. "Let's get you over to the couch."

            Once the redhead was lying back on the couch, Jyou began to examine what was left of her left foot. "D…do you want to see Piyomon too?" she asked, trying to ignore the growing sense of sudden fear she had in her stomach.

            "Yes," Jyou said, "Just one second…." He started twisting and turning it, checking it from all sides. "How long has it been like this?"

            She swallowed. "I…I think the toes were gone a few days ago…."

            He sighed and gently placed it down. "Anywhere else?"

            Her hand was shaking as she pointed at her left eye. "Here."

            Jyou reached over pulled the skin away from her eye socket. He pulled it back a second later. "Where's Piyomon?"

            The red-headed young woman nodded and shouted down the hall. "Piyomon! Piyomon, Jyou's here!"

            They heard scuffling from the bedroom, and a moment later, the pink bird came trotting out. Like Sora, the BD-2 had eaten out sections of her body, most of her feathers, and the tip of her wings, were gone. Jyou examined her carefully, then rubbed his forehead.

            Sora and Piyomon glanced nervously at one another, then looked back. "Jyou?" Sora asked.

            "Well," he said, "I can give you the standard medicine that I've been giving everyone else, but there's not much else I can do…."

            Sora felt her heart sink into her stomach. She did not want to ask, but she had to. "How…how much longer do we have to….to….to….?"

            He hesitated for a moment. "I…I'm not sure, but we're still experimenting with new medicine every day, it's…it's possible we'll find a cure, and….I…I hate to say this, but if you told me about this a few days ago, maybe I could have done something. I…I'm sorry."

            Sora felt sharp needles of fear jab into her heart and stomach, but she fought them back. She tried to speak, but she could only nod. Piyomon glanced up at her, and she grabbed her partner tightly.

            Jyou was going to speak again, but his cell phone began to play its ringing sound. He tried to ignore it, but he eventually looked at the small monitor. "I…I need to go. Sora, I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she could not look at him, only stare down at Piyomon in her arms with closed eyes.

            Jyou reluctantly exited the apartment, leaving the two partners to break down in tears. They squeezed each other as tightly as they could. The young woman was not sure how long she had stayed like this, but they soon broke apart.

            "What are we going to do?" Piyomon asked.

            "I…I don't know…" Sora said, burying her face in her hands, "I…I can't think…I….I need to talk to someone…."

            Her hand was shaking as she reached for her home phone. She gripped it tightly, as if it was the only thing keeping her sane at this moment. She pressed the first button on the speed dial. She held her breath as a familiar voice sounded over the speaker. "Hello, you have reached the Takenouchis. For the flower shop, please press 1, for the home apartment, please press 2."

            She pressed the second button, and her mother's voice once again appeared. "Hello, this is the Takenouchi home apartment. We are not home at the moment, but please leave your name and number, and we will get back to you as soon as possible."

            Sora's heart began to pound again, but she was able to stay calm enough to dial another number. A cheery, female voice shouted over the speaker. "Hey what's up? Mimi and Michael aren't home right now, but just leave your name and number, and we'll catch up with you as soon as we can! Later!"

            Sora dialed another number.  This time, she was actually surprised to hear a female's voice answer. "Hello, this is the Yamato Ishida residence…"

            The red-headed momentarily forget her plague-infection and she even forgot her voice. She did not expect to hear a woman's voice, she did not know Yamato was even seeing anyone…

            "Hello?" the other voice asked.

            She blinked. "Oh, uh…may I speak to Yamato?"

            "He…ah…stepped out for a moment. May I take a message?"

            "Ah...n…no, it's….it's nothing…"

            The voice on the other end was silent for a moment. "Uh…may I ask who's calling?"

            "Sora Takenouchi…"

            "Sora!" the voice gasped, "I thought you sounded familiar. It's Noriko Kawada."

            "Noriko?" the red-head gasped, "w…what are you doing there?"

            "It's a long story," she said, "What have you been up to? I heard you were a fashion designer?"

            Her mind suddenly flashed her a reminder of the disease that was infecting her body. She needed to talk to someone. "I…I have BD-2…."

            "You too?" the voice on the other end asked.

            The red-head nodded, even though the other young woman could not see. "Yes."

            "Don't worry," Noriko said, "Just tell me where you live, and I'll be right over."

            "W…what?"

            "Please, I know what you're going through."

            Sora swallowed and told her the location from Yamato's apartment. Noriko promised she would be right over, Sora only hoped she would hurry.

111

            Dingo had been following the bikini-wearing girl for most of the day. After she left the snack bar, she traveled back to her beach towel, then played with Gizamon in the ocean for an hour, before gathering up her belongings and leaving the beach. She changed out of her swimwear into a pair of blue, tight-fitting shorts and a shirt that contained a front and a back, but the sides from her breasts down was absent. He probably would have left her alone, but that strange cloak-wearing figure had been there the entire time; he was worried about her.

            He and Ganimon X followed her from the sandy beach to the rock and dirt of the inner city, where she led him through the twists and turns of the alleys before finally stopping and spinning around to face him. "What?"

            He blinked. "What?"

            "You've been followin' me, and I want to know why!"

            His eyes drifted away from her face to her missing right arm, or more accurately, the socket, which was wrapped tightly with brown bandages. "What the hell are you lookin' at?" she spat, "Whatda  BD-2 do to your…." She trailed off as she examined his body. "Nothin's missing'….you…you aren't even infected, are ya? But how can that…." Her astonishment turned to disgust as she stared at his face. "You've been modified, haven't ya? You're an X-Chosen! What the hell do you want?"

            "This ain't gonna be good," Ganimon X muttered.

            Dingo ignored him and stuttered an explanation. "I…didn't you see that weird guy in the yellow cape and hood?"

            "Yeah, what if I did?"

            "He's been followin' ya!" he exclaimed, "I'm just worried about ya…"

            "Oh, I get it," she said, throwing her head back in a slight chuckle, "Just because you've been modified and aren't infected, you think you have to protect me because I am infected, right?"

            Her Gizamon placed a paw on her leg. "Lynna, calm down…"

            "I am calm!" she shouted, "I'm just so pissed! Just because these X-Chosen aren't sick, they think they have to watch over the rest of us! They think they have the right to rule us!"

            "What are you talking about?" Dingo gasped, "Look, I don't know what you've heard about us, but we Chosen that have been modified by the X-Antibody are just Chosen. We're just trying to help you get cured…"

            "You're all the same," she laughed, "Just like everyone else says. Just stay the hell away from me." She began to walk away, but stopped when she noticed that the strange figure draped in the yellow hood and cape was standing before her.

            "Lynna Jeffry," he said, "Prepare for your death!"

            She blinked-sure she had not heard him correctly. "What?"

            His hand emerged from within his yellow cape, revealing a yellow digivice in his hand, which began to glow brightly.

            "What the hell are you doin'?" Lynna shouted.

            Dingo charged forward and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Let's not wait to find out!" He began to drag her away, but she protested.

            "I don' need your help, you sell out!"

            "Sell out?" he repeated, "What the hell are you talking about?"

            "You sold your soul to get a cure!"

            He sighed in annoyance and continued to pull her. "We'll talk about this later! Let's go!"

They twisted around and started to run, but stopped as an explosion of yellow light appeared before them. They watched in horror as a figure appeared within that light: a tall human-like creature dressed in black leather and carrying two shot guns in holsters at his hips.

            "Nice ta make ya acquaintance," he said, "But like ma partna was saying, you're all about to become spots on the sidewalk!"

            "It's time to go!" Gizamon shouted.

            Ganimon X dug into the dirt and sand with his large pincer claw and flung it into the enemy digimon's eyes, momentarily blinding him. Dingo began running as fast as he could, dragging Lynna and their digimon partners with them. He did not even stop to glance over his shoulder to see if the man in yellow was following. Instead, he reached for his cellphone.

            "What are you doing?" Ganimon X asked.

            "Calln' for help, what'da think?"

111

            When Yamato kicked open the door to his humble apartment, he shouted out to his guest. "Noriko? Plotmon?"

            "They're not here," Gabumon X answered, walking out of the back room.

            "They're not?" he asked, "Where are they?" 

            "They went to see Sora about something," the X-digimon answered.

            Yamato placed the bags of groceries on the counter. "I just went shopping for the first time in weeks…"

            "Make that months," Gabumon X added.

            Yamato cast him an evil glance, but continued to unpack. "Did she say when she'd be back?...Or is she even coming back?"

            "I don't know," he answered, "Sorry."

            The blond man took out his cellphone, but stopped. "I can't even call her. I don't know her number…or if she even has a cellphone."

            "You could just call Sora's," Gabumon X.

            Yamato smiled. "Hey, that's a great idea." He was about to hit the auto-dial, when to his surprise, the phone began to ring with a segment of one of his former band's songs. He glanced at the screen. "It's from Jyou."

            "You'd better take it," his partner advised, "With what's going on now."

He put the device to his ear. "Hey Jyou, what's up? Dingo? The guy from Australia? Yeah….Yeah, we'll be right there."

            "What's up?" Gabumon X asked.

            "We've got to go to Ausata, it's in the southern hemisphere of the Digital World," he said, running to the computer which was resting on the tv stand in the living room. "One of those cloak wearing guys is attacking Dingo. We've got to go now!"

            "What about the others?" he asked.

            "Jyou already called them," he answered, pointing his X-Antibody modified digivice at the computer screen. "Digital Gate open! The City of Austa!"

            The screen exploded in brilliant white light which pulled Yamato and Gabumon X into the Digital World.

111

            During her bath, Maria was forced to remove the bandages which were wound tightly around the remainder of her legs. After she dressed in a pair of Hikari's shorts and a sleeveless shirt, she tried to reapply the bandages again, but they were very dirty. Once Taichi saw her, he insisted on bandaging them for her.

            "No, it's….it's okay…" she began, but stopped when Taichi held up his palm.

            "No, it's not okay. I know you have BD-2, but it's not going to help you get any better if your open wounds get infected."

            "He's right," her Patamon said, landing on her shoulder, "Let him help you."

            She smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

            The young man carried her into the living room, where he placed her on the couch, her leg stumps near the edge. Hikari and the Yagami's digimon were watching the television, so the Latino girl decided to join in while Taichi journeyed to the bathroom to get the medical supplies.

She was missing almost half of her knees, and everything below them was completely gone. There was only a mesh of red, spongy tissue at the edges. "Well…I'm not Jyou, but I've bandaged up enough injuries to know when something's infected or not."

            "And?"

            "I think this looks okay. I mean…not as bad as it could be…." He cleared his throat and began to wound a thin strip of white bandage around her bare legs.

            Maria turned her attention from the television to the brown mop on the top of Taichi's head. She hesitated a moment before speaking up. "Um, Taichi, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

            "Sure."

            She hesitated a moment longer before speaking again. "I...like a lot of Chosen I know, really look up to you and have the greatest respect for you, so if this is out of line I'm sorry, but, why did you decide to become a diplomat?"

            "Instead of a Chosen general?" Taichi asked with a smile. Hikari and Plotmon X began to giggle.

            She blushed. "What…?"

            He waved his hand. "Never mind. Um, to answer your question, it was really because of the Christmas invasion back in 2002. I knew it was only a matter of time before the Digital World would become common knowledge to Earth, and I wasn't going to let the governments try to take it over. I was going to make sure the Digital World could be protected, and that meant it needed someone to represent it."

            "Really?" she asked.

            He looked at her. "Why?"

            "I…um…just heard something different…"

            "Really? What?"

            She hesitated again. "Um…."

            "No, it's all right, tell me…"

            She hesitated again before spurting quickly, "I heard that after you were modified by the X-Antibody, you didn't care about us anymore."

            Hikari and the digimon turned to them in silence. Taichi slowly lifted his head to look at Maria, who was blushing feverously. "I…I never believed in it…." She stuttered.

            "Nah, I can see why everyone thought that," he said, "Yeah, after BD-2 hit the Digital World, what could I do about it? I wasn't a doctor..." He turned his head back down to continue bandaging Maria's legs, "Besides, I couldn't say Koushiro or Daisuke…"

            Hikari frowned. "Oh Oniichan…"

            Taichi finished his wrapping of Maria's legs and stood up to stretch his back. "All right…"

            The Latino girl glanced at her leg stubs, which were securely wrapped in white bandages. "Thank you."

            "So, time to eat?" Taichi asked.

            Hikari nodded. "Yeah, come on."

            Taichi hoisted Maria into his arms and carried her into the dinning room. Maria lightly kissed the young man on the cheeks. "Thank you for everything. And I still think you're a hero."

            Hikari giggled slightly at her brother's embarrassment.

111

            Yamato and Gabumon X began to look around at the city of Ausata. The Chosen and Digimon that resided there did not even give them a passing glance as they walked by, continuing with their daily lives. "Where are Jyou and Gomamon?" Yamato asked.

            They were answered a moment later when they heard what appeared to be a shot gun echo throughout the alleys. The young man and his partner did not even glance at each other as they charged through the buildings and openings to discover the source of the shot. What they found closer to the beach was a young man, a young woman and their digimon being chased by a large, digimon with guns and a figure wearing a yellow cloak. "There's Dingo and Ganimon X," Gabumon X said.

            "Who's that girl he's with?" Yamato asked.

            "Yamato!"

            They twisted around to see Jyou and Gomamon X behind them, running as fast as they could to catch up with Dingo as they ran past Yamato and Gabumon X. "We've got to hurry!"

            The blond man reached for his digivice. "All right. Ready Gabumon?"

            He nodded. "Right. Gabumon X evolve to Garurumon X!"

            Yamato leapt onto his partner's back and waited until Jyou and Gomamon X were on before ordering his partner forward. The large wolf used his evolved leg muscles to easily run forward, moving closer to Dingo and his mysterious enemy. They soon reached an area of the city where the beach had disappeared and the ocean was pushing directly up to the guard rails of the street.

            "It's one of those guys that made us fight for them!" Jyou shouted, "But who is his partner?" He held out his X-modified digivice and waited as the screen projected an image a few inches above it, the word 'PROCESSING….PROCESSING….NO DATA…."

            "I've got nothing on him," he said, "Gomamon, Garurumon, do you know him?"

            "I've never seen anything like him before," his partner answered.

            "Me either," Garurumon X

            "Well we've got to stop him," Yamato said.

Jyou glanced to his right and saw the bright blue of the Digital Ocean stretched out before him. "Perfect! Gomamon, we're by the ocean, that means we've got the advantage for once!"

            His partner sighed. "Jyou, we never have the advantage."

            The young man sighed in annoyance as he reached for his digivice. "Just get in the water."

            Gomamon X chuckled as he leapt from Garurumon X's back and dove into the water. "Gomamon X evolve to Tylomon X!"

            The evolved sea creature leapt out of the water like a dolphin leaping into the setting sun. Once he was high enough in the evening sky, he dove at the gun-totting digimon. "Torpedo Attack!"

            His sharp snout struck the creature in the side, throwing him onto his side. Dingo and the girl spun around in surprise.

            "Hey, the Calvary's here!" Dingo shouted.

            "Who?" the girl asked.

            "Just some friends, Lynna," he said, "That's Jyou and Tylomon X and that's Yamato and Garurumon X."

            "More X-Chosen?!" she gasped.

            "They're gonna help you, trust me, all right?"

            The yellow-cloak wearer turned to face Garurumon X and his passengers. His eyes focused on Yamato a moment before he spoke. "So, the Odabia Chosen have come to the rescue, but you're not going to stop me from completing my mission."

            "Mission?" Yamato asked.

            He did not answer.

            "Who the hell are you?" Dingo shouted.

            He shot him a glance, but began to laugh. "You want to know my name, huh? Fine, I am Karetu, the Demon Hunter! This is my partner, Beelzebubmon."

            The demonic digimon twirled one of his shotguns on his finger. "Pleased ta'meet'cha!"

            "Demon Hunter?" Lynna gasped, "What does that mean? Gizamon?"

            Her partner shook his head. "I dunno."

            Karetu swung open his cloak to reveal that he was wearing a pair of green pants and a grey t-shirt, but he kept his hood securely over his face. "Beelzebubmon, if you please…"

            He grinned. "You got it." He pointed his guns directly at Lynna. "Say yer prayers!"

            "No!" Dingo shouted, "Ganimon!"

            Ganimon X ran forward, his body glowing brightly. "Ganimon X evolve to Gesomon X!"

            Beelzebubmon raised an eyebrow in amusement at the grinning octopus creature standing before him. Gesomon X began to repeatedly pound the demon with his tentacles. "Devil Bashing!"

            Beelzebubmon kicked the octopus as hard as he could, causing him to fly backwards over Dingo, Lynna and Gizamon's heads. Tylomon X leapt into the air again but this time shot past Beelzebubmon at fast speed, striking him with his fins. "Shark Fin Blade!"

            Yamato leapt off of Garurumon X as the blue wolf expunged a blast of blue light the engulfed the demon. "Fox Fire!"

            The demon digimon flexed his muscles, sending a wave of energy that dissolved Garurumon X's attack. He launched forward, striking the large wolf in the snout with his foot, timing it with perfect accuracy so that the momentum sent Yamato's partner into Tylomon X, knocking both of them into the water.

            Gesomon X leapt back into the battlefield, but before he could even attack, Beelzebubmon knocked him into the pile of X digimon floating in the sea.

            "Damn it!" Dingo spat.

            Karetu laughed manically, as he turned to the brown-haired female. "Now, 'princess,' let's get this over with."

            His partner grinned as he positioned his gun at her head. "Say goodbye! Double Impact!"

            Lynna whimpered in fear as she watched the bullets zoom towards her. Her Gizamon leapt in front of her, while Dingo leapt in front of them. The trio of tangled digimon floating in the water attempted to claw their way to the shore, but they knew they would not reach it in time. However, to their surprise, Beelzebubmon's attack struck the ground instead, causing an explosion that sent Dingo and Gizamon flying to the sides. Lynna stared in fear.

            "Now that they're outta the way…" the demon grinned, readying his guns again.

            "No!" Lynna screamed. Her body suddenly began to glow with a bluish-green light. This light then exploded, showering the immediate area. Her Gizamon's body began to glow in the same light.

            "Gizamon evolve to Ebidramon!"

            Lynna was overcome with awe at the strange light being emitted from her body, but still turned to her partner. "Gizamon? How did you evolve? You haven't been able to evolve since we were infected with BD-2!"

            "I have no idea," he said, "But I'm not complainin'!"

            "Me neither!" she grinned, "Show that guy not ta mess with a Chosen Child from Australia!"

            "Yeah!" Dingo shouted, "We'll attack 'im together! Gesomon!"

            "You too Tylomon!" Jyou shouted.

            "Kick his ass Garurumon!" Yamato joined in.

            The three X-digimon leapt out of the water and poised to attack. Ebidramon shot forward and trapped Beelzebubmon within his large pincer claws. Tylomon X executed his Shark Fin Blade attack, slashing across the demon's face. Gesomon X was next, pounding the demon's face repeatedly with his tentacles before Garurumon X performed his Body Blow attack, energizing the hairs on his shoulders to slash at the demon's midsection. Beelzebubmon was stunned for a moment before he flexed his muscles, easily breaking free of Ebidramon's grasp. He grabbed the lobster's midsection and swung him around, smacking into each of the other digimon before throwing him into the ground with such force that the entire battlefield shook. This sent everyone, including Karetu, stumbling to their knees. The Demon Hunter's hood was jarred loose and fell to his shoulders, revealing his face.

            Jyou could not believe his eyes and Yamato was almost in shock. He stared at Karetu's face and shouted in amazement and horror. "Takeru?!"

            The Demon Hunter's hair was cut into a bowl-shaped style, and his eyes were brown instead of blue. Despite these small differences, the face was that of Takeru Takashi. He rose to his feet and stared at Yamato's face.

            "Takeru….h….how….?"

            Karetu grinned wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know. Beelzebubmon!"

            The demon digimon jumped to Karetu's side, his guns pointed outwards. The Demon Hunter raised his yellow digivice to the sky and he and his partner vanished in a burst of yellow light.

111

            Sora threw open the door in anticipation when she heard it knock. She breathed in relief when she saw Noriko and her Plotmon standing on the other side. "Noriko!" she gasped, collapsing into the other woman's arms.

            "Sora…Sora…" she said in amazement. The redhead had been one of the strongest women she had ever known, but to see her broken down in tears before her almost sent her into fear as well. However, she kept her emotions in check; Sora had called her for support, she could not let her down.

            She helped her to the couch, where Piyomon was waiting in anticipation. "It's okay Sora," she said, "It's okay…"

            "Noriko," she sobbed, "I…I don't know what to do!"

            The black-haired young woman hesitated a moment. "Sora, listen, I understand what you're going through, but just because you have BD-2 doesn't mean your life is over."

            "But…but there's no cure!" Piyomon protested.

            "We know that," Plotmon said, "But there could be one. We just have to fight until there is one."

            Noriko continued. "She's right. Our time might be short, but we're going to live it as best we can: me, Maria, Catherine…"

            Sora turned to her. "Catherine has BD-2?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, a lot of Chosen have BD-2, but we're not giving up. And you can't either."

            The redhead turned away and stared at the carpeting of her floor. Noriko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sora, did you know that you're the role model of a lot of female Chosen?"

            She turned to her in surprise. "I am?"

            The black-haired woman nodded. "Yes. And when they find out that you have BD-2, they're going to be looking at you for inspiration. Sora, if you break down, then how are they going to act? Be strong, don't give up, and they won't either."

            The red-headed woman was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I can't give up, because when I do, then I've already lost." She turned to her partner, "I'm not going to give up, what about you?"

            The pink digimon nodded. "If you can be strong, Sora, then I'll be strong too."

            Noriko smiled. "Yeah, it's going to be tough for a little while, but you're really strong, Sora, I know you'll pull through." She started looking around the apartment. "So, this is nice."

            She shrugged. "Yeah, and expensive. The last dress design that I sold just about paid for the rent."

            The other woman smiled. "Really? I'd love to see it!"

111

            A few hours later, Jyou, Yamato, Taichi and Hikari were standing in the midst of a cemetery while the full moon shone down on them. A group of older men were busy digging dirt and stone away from a headstone, a headstone that displayed in granite letters, TAKASHI TAKERU. "So what happened to the girl?" Taichi asked.

            "Lynna Jeffry," Jyou corrected, "And she stayed with Dingo, who said he'd watch over her, and if anything happened, he'd call us right away."

            Taichi nodded.

            "How's Maria?" he asked.

            "She's back at the apartment," Taichi said, "I didn't think it would be a good idea to bring her along." He glanced over at Hikari, who was standing apprehensively next to Yamato, "I wanted her to stay home too, but she wouldn't."

            The older Chosen nodded. Taichi walked forward to stand by Yamato's side. "So how're you doing?"

            "How do you think I'm doing?" he gasped, "That…that demon looked just like Takeru!"

            Taichi looked to the gravesite, where the cemetery workers were pulling a brown casket from the ground. "But are you sure this is the right way?"

            "I have to know," he said, "I watched my younger brother die from the Second Black Death, I need to know if that was real."

            Taichi nodded, and looked past him to where his sister was standing, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. He walked past Yamato and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled slightly at him. "Are you okay?"

            She hesitated. "I…I don't know. How can Takeru be alive? It…it can't be!"

            The workers pulled the casket over to where the Chosen were standing. Hikari tensed up, and Taichi hugged her. "You don't have to watch."

            "Yes I do," she said.

            Yamato nodded silently at the cemetery workers. They each grasped a side of the coffin lid and slowly moved it aside, allowing the contents to be seen. Yamto's body tensed, and Hikari gasped in horror, twisting her head away to burry it in Taichi's chest. She could not bear the sight inside the coffin.


	5. The Book of Pestilence: Chapter 2

_My name is Hikari Yamati, and sometimes I curse my life as a Chosen. If that Digi-egg had never come out of my father's computer, then I would never had been picked by the Digital World, no one would have thought I was crazy when I said I saw monsters, I wouldn't have had to sacrifice so much of my life to save a world that was always in need of saving, and no one would have had their lives drastically changed because some world-conquering digimon wanted me dead. _

_Yes, Myotismon. He invaded Earth, almost completely destroyed my home of Odaiba, and killed thousands of people in the destruction, all this, because he wanted me. Taichi tells me that I can't blame myself, I was too important to the continued survival of both worlds for Myotismon to get me. If I hadn't of been there with the rest of the Chosen, the Dark Masters might have succeeded in using the Digital World to enter Earth. Of course, if I had never been a Chosen, I would have never met Tailmon, or Miyako, or Ken, or Iori…or Daisuke and Takeru…_

_            My heart still hurts so much when I think of them; the blue-eyed, blond haired careful and cautious Takeru, and wild, passionate, courageous Daisuke; two people so different, and yet so close to my heart. I cared for them as much as I did Taichi, Tailmon, Agumon…they were my friends, and I wished that one of them could have become more. But that was before we grew up, that was before we started our adult lives, that was before the BD-2._

_            Takeru was d…dead. I watched with horror as the BD-2 continued to eat his body away. He was so strong, so full of life, and as the days and weeks rolled by, he grew so weak. I stood by his side and watched him day after day wither away, I was there when he finally left this world, I held his hand, felt him finally reach peace. I watched as he was lowered into the cold dark ground. I cried so long and hard, days and nights…and now…Yamato says that one of those cloak-wearing people, the one in yellow, the one who called himself Karetu, the Demon Hunter, he said he looked like Takeru! It…it can't be! He can't be Takeru! He…he just can't…he can't…_

_Digimon Apocalypse:_

_The Book of Pestilence:_

_Chapter 2_

            They say the city never sleeps, this is certainly true of major cities such as New York, London, Tokyo, and Paris. While many citizens of the latter city were very much awake, the inhabitants of a certain chateau in the city of Valenciennes in the Nord-Pas de Calais _region_ of northern France were not sleeping either, having been awoken from their slumber around midnight by a series if intense screams and shrieks coming from one of the rooms.

            The live-in servants came running in droves to the room, but they were pushed aside as an older man with a mustache of curly blond hair drove through them. He pushed to the door and forced it open, revealing a bedroom of a young woman. The owner of this bedroom was sitting in her king-sized bed, screaming as loudly as she could. A plant-creature sat at her side, fear overwhelming her face.

            The man looked at the plant creature. "Floramon!"

            She shook her head. "I…I don't…she…she just started…."

            The man grasped the young woman by the shoulders and began to shake her. "Catherine! Catherine!"

            The young woman slowly stopped screaming but her eyes continued to stare blankly. He had to shake her again before she began to blink. She slowly turned to him. "P…Papa?" Before he could answer, she embraced him tightly.

            "Are you okay?"

            She nodded. "Yes."

            "What happened?"

            "I had a dream," she said."

            "About what?" Floramon asked.

            She hesitated for a moment. Her eyes opened wide. "What is it?" her father, Henri, asked.

            "P…paper!" she gasped, pulling out of her father's grip. She ran over to her desk and threw open the drawers until she found a stack of papers and a box of colored pencils. Floramon and Henri glanced at one another, then back at the young woman.

            "Catherine?" Floramon asked.

            She did answer, only began to draw feverously.

111

            The sun was just beginning to rise in Tokyo at that time, and Hikari was getting ready for another day of work. Plotmon X sat on her bed as the young woman silently buttoned up her pink blouse.

            "Hikari?" her partner finally asked.

            "What is it?" she responded, stepping into her modest-length white skirt, tucking the ends of the shirt inside before zipping up the back and securing it tightly. She then sat down at her makeup table and reached for her mascara brush.

            "Do you want to talk about last night?"

            She flinched slightly, almost dropping the brush. "W…what do you mean?"

            "Taichi told us about it."

            The young woman finished applying her makeup, then rose to her feet, grabbing the suit jacket from where she had laid it on the bed. "There's nothing really to talk about," she replied, "Takeru's body was there, right where it should be."

            "Taichi said you fainted."

            She flinched again, but only said, "I will see you tonight." She walked out of her room and into the hall, passing by the kitchen on the way. Taichi was inside, eating a pasty while standing.

            "You're eating that for breakfast?" she asked, "I made you something…"

            He shrugged. "That can be for dinner."

            "But…"

            "It's your big date tonight, right?" he asked with a smile, "And I don't think you'd want me to kill Plotmon with my cooking."

            She sighed and shook her head with a slight smile. She slid on her high heels, threw her large bag over her shoulders, held a stack of papers under her arms in one hand, and opened the door with the other. "I'll see you later, Oniichan."

            "Bye, Imouto," he said, watching her close the door. He finished his pastry and walked into the living room where Agumon X was seated on the couch, watching television.

            "Don't you have school?" he asked.

            "I'm leaving now, I just need to find my cellphone…"

            His partner pointed to the coffee table in the center of the room. "There, and I think you got a message."

            He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the small screen. "I'll see you later." Once he exited the apartment, he placed the small phone to his ear to listen to his messages. He was more then slightly surprised to hear one from Sora, since he was not even certain she knew his number. She must have gotten it from Hikari. He felt his heart turn cold as he listened to what she had to say to him. He ran towards her aprtment.

111

            Following the destruction of their church by the X-Chosen, the Digitalatri were camped in the shadow of a towering mountain. Their leader, the prophetess Chihi Miayag, addressed her congregation in the same rhythmic manner as before.

            "My fellow Chosen," she said, moving her hands and arms, "The all-powerful God of the Digital World has spoken to me. He is the all-powerful, he is the lord of all creation, and he has promised us the entire Digital World!"

Her followers looked on with awe and wonder. "Yes!" she smiled, "Yes, that is correct! This world was promised to us, promised to our ancestors, promised to the First Chosen! But the kingdom they carved from the chaos was taken from them! They were betrayed, defeated, annihilated by the great and '_civilized_' northern empire of Cer! Those barbarians marched to Holy Digitalopolis and destroyed it, burnt that colossal, beautiful melody of architectural mastery to the ground! And what they did not destroy, they stole, like common thieves, and brought back with them to Ceria! The First Chosen were destroyed, but, my fellow believers, we will be the ones to reclaim their empire!"

Her followers cheered. Miayag smiled. "The first step on our holy mission my friends, is the acquisition of Ceria! The might of the former Cer Empire has long since fallen, and while their city has fallen to ruins, it may yet hold the greatest treasures stolen from our ancestors! We must take back those treasures, and claim that city! This, my friends, is our first battle for control of that which is rightfully ours, the entire Digital World!"

She turned to a group of young adults with digimon partners of various shapes and sizes. She smiled and addressed each one by name. "James Masters, Metalseadramon, Vicente Lobo, Skull Satanmon, Sam Anderson, Mummymon, Tatum Heany, Archnemon, Takashi Yusake, Mugen Dramon, Keiko Shingu, Pinocchimon, and Hiroshi Shibya, and Piedmon, to you the gifts of the Digital God have been bestowed and it is to you that I now give you this task. You will lead the charge against the city."

They all nodded in unison. "Whatever you command," Keiko said.

Miayag grinned and threw her arms into the air. "We will have victory, the God of the Digital World has promised us this! We will be the rulers of this world!"

111

            When Sora opened the door to her apartment, she was surprised to see a messy-haired young man standing in the hall. "Taichi…?"

            He hesitated a moment before speaking. "H…hi Sora…"

            The red-head blinked for a few moments. "W…what are you doing here?"

            Taichi looked surprised. "Y…you called me…"

            "I did? I called Hikari…"

            "Hikari?" he gasped. He flipped open his cellphone and glanced at the larger screen. "Oh, did you call our home phone?"

            She nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

            He smiled slightly. "We programmed the voice mail on the home phone to send messages to our cellphones. Hikari's inbox must be full, that's why it bounced to mine."

            She nodded. "Oh…" She shifted uncomfortably. "So…you…read it…?"

            "Well, yeah, I thought it was mine…"

            She nodded again. She noticed that Taichi was staring at her. "It's on my left leg, if that's what you're looking for…"

            His eyes darted to the bottom of her left leg, where her foot was all but gone, wrapped instead in thick white bandages. Sora waited another moment before sighing deeply. "And my left eye…"

            His head darted back to her face. He had not seen it before with her hair hanging over her forehead, but he saw that she had another white bandage wrapped around her head, completely covering her left eye. He suddenly began to blush. "Oh, sorry…"

            She did not respond for a moment, but then suddenly began to blush as well. "Oh, I'm sorry, please come in."

            "T…thank you," he stuttered, walking inside. He turned around in place, viewing her entire apartment. "This is a nice place. I had to ask Hikari for the address…"

            She smiled and hobbled over to the wall, where a pair of crutches where resting. Once they were firmly in place under her arm, she limped forward on her remaining foot. Taichi tensed, wanting to help her, but was afraid of insulting her capacities, especially since that may be what was keeping her mental state from collapsing. It also looked as though she had not been awake for long, as her hair was scraggily, and she was wearing a pair of tight black shorts and a tight fitting tank top. He tried not to stare at her while she made her way to the couch. After she sat down, she moaned.

            "I'm sorry, do you want anything?"

            He shook his head. "No, I…I already ate." He hesitated a moment before speaking again. "Um…I'm sorry that you're…."

            "Infected with BD-2?" she asked, "Yeah, well, at least you don't have to worry about that, right?"

            He sighed. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

            She hesitated. "I…I'm sorry Taichi, I…I don't know why…."

            "No, it's…." he looked away, "You're right, I wasn't there for any of you. After Koushiro and Daisuke died, I…I just couldn't….You have every right to be angry at me…."

            She shook her head. "I….I shouldn't be angry, I…I just don't know how to feel…."

            "What do you mean?"

            She sighed. "Taichi, I…I had gotten so used to you _not_ being here, and….and now you're suddenly in my life again….is it for good, or are you going to not talk to me for two years like before?"

            He felt a pang in his heart, it was guilt. "Sora, I…I promise that I'm not going to leave again. I mean, with Digitalatri, and then that weird things with Takeru…"

            "Takeru?" she blinked, "What…?"

            He waved his hand. "I'll tell you later…."

            She nodded. "But Taichi, why did you leave in the first place?"

            He sighed deeply. "Because of the BD-2," he said, "Because of Koushiro and Daisuke. After they died…I just couldn't...how was I going to save the Digital World, when I couldn't even save my best friends? After that I didn't even care about college, didn't even care about the Digital World anymore." He shook his head feverously, "It was selfish, I know." He took another deep breath, "But then Hikari moved in with me, and her…"light" helped me over come it…" He grinned, "Like she always did…" He turned back to her. "But I'm not going to run from this anymore."

            Sora smiled warmly. But before she could speak, Taichi's cellphone began to ring again. He cursed and said he forgot to turn it off, but when he looked at the screen, he gave a curious expression. "What the..?"

            "What?" Sora asked.

            "It's a text message forwarded from Jyou's inbox," he said, "And it's written…weird…"

            "What do you mean?"

            He cleared his throat and began to read the message. "You are looking information for Digitalatri. To come to Zeradza…" for information now right now. From Yuri Rutskoy…Who the hell is that?"

            "Yuri?" Sora's ears perked, "From Russia?"

            Taichi thought for a minute. "Zeradza…that's in the northern part of Server…I guess I'd better go…"

            "Wait," she said, "I'll come too…"

            "What? Sora, are you sure that…."

            "That what?" she asked, reaching for her crutches, "Just because I have to use _these_ now, you think I can't help?"

            "No!" he shouted, "No, it's…it's not that…I…I'm just…."

            "What?"

            He hesitated a moment, then said. "All right…"

            She grinned. "Just let me shower and change. I'll only be a minute." She used her crutches to march into the bathroom.

            "Where's Piyomon?" he suddenly asked.

            "Sleeping," she said, "I'll wake her up after I'm done."

            He nodded and watched her enter her bathroom and close the door. Taichi shifted on his feet and scratched the back of his head. He fell down on the couch and ran his hands over his face. "Oh man…"

            He glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten o'clock… He grabbed his cellphone and quickly dialed a familiar number.

111

            Hikari had been sitting at her desk in her classroom when she heard the familiar sound of her cellphone ringing. She dug through her purse before she pulled out her pink phone. "Hello?"

            "Hey, Hikari, it's Taichi."

            "Taichi, hi."

            "Um, do you have a few minutes? It's your break time, right?"

            She smiled slightly. "Free period, Oniichan, and yes, the kids are at P.E. right now. So, what's up?"

            "Um…do you know that you're voice mail inbox is full?"

            "It is?"

            "Yeah, I got another message for you. It was from Sora. S…she has BD-2…"

            Hikari felt her heart turn cold. "Oh no…not another one…."

            Taichi took a deep breath. "Yeah, but…um…Yuri, the Chosen from Russia, said he had information about Digitalatri. I'm going to go there…"

            "Don't you have class?"

            "This is more important. I'm going to go there, but Sora wants to go too and I don't know if I should let her, but I'm afraid that if I don't…."

            "What?"

            "I don't want to tell her she can't do something, what if that just makes this worse? But I don't want her to get hurt."

            Hikari was silent for a moment. "How do you feel about her?"

            "What?"

            "Um…you know, how do you see her?"

            "I don't know." He sighed deeply, "You know, I had such a big crush on her when we were in junior high school, but after she and Yamato started going out, I felt like the whole world came to an end. It was like my heart was so broken, then it'd never heal. But, when they broke up four years later, I didn't care. I mean, I was sorry that it happened, but I didn't have any deeper feelings towards her other then friendship…"

            "I think it's called being a teenager, Taichi," Hikari responded, "Teenagers thinks the world rises and sets on them, everything is world altering, especially when it comes to relationships.  Sora was your first crush, but even if the two of you _had_ been dating,  I think by high school, you would have broken up anyway. The only reason you felt the way you did, is because it's the same way _any_ teenager would have felt. You just got over her, that's all…"

            He snorted. "Yeah, well, I got so over her, that during high school we drifted apart, and I soon as I moved out of Odabia, I didn't even talk to her. I want to be back in her life…."

            "Then take this chance," she said.

            "So, you want me to take her with me?"

            "It's up to you, Taichi."

            He took a deep breath. "Okay, thanks."

            "So about Yuri, do you want me to come?"

            "No, you're at work…"

            She giggled slightly. "I meant afterwards."

            "No, that's okay. I'm just gonna see what he has to tell me. We'll probably be back right away." He paused for a moment, "Maybe I'll bring Maria…."

            "Why?"

            "Well, Tatum and Sam are with Digitalatri now, maybe she can help somehow. Besides, it'll be easer to have her there, then having to come back to get her."

            "Is that the real reason?" she asked.

            "O…of course.  Um…and this way you'll have the apartment to yourself after your date…"

            "Thank you Taichi," she said, "But it's your apartment…"

            "No, it's both of ours, and I'll give you some time."

            "Thank you Taichi," she said again.

            He hesitated for a minute. "Um, do you want to talk about last night?"

            She flinched slightly as her mind flashed her memories of what had occurred the night before….

            _Taichi looked to the gravesite, where the cemetery workers were pulling a brown casket from the ground. "But are you sure this is the right way?"_

_            "I have to know," Yamato said, "I watched my younger brother die from the Second Black Death, I need to know if that was real."_

_            Taichi nodded, and looked past him to where his sister was standing, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. He walked past Yamato and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled slightly at him. "Are you okay?"_

_            She hesitated. "I…I don't know. How can Takeru be alive? It…it can't be!"_

_            The workers pulled the casket over to where the Chosen were standing. Hikari tensed up, and Taichi hugged her. "You don't have to watch."_

_            "Yes I do," she said._

_            Yamato nodded silently at the cemetery workers. They each grasped a side of the coffin lid and slowly moved it aside, allowing the contents to be seen. Yamto's body tensed, and Hikari gasped in horror, twisting her head away to burry it in Taichi's chest. She could not bear the sight of the inside of the coffin. For there lay the body of Takeru Takashi. The process of decomposition had already begun, leaving his skin and muscles a mess of dead tissue._

_            Hikari stared at the empty vessel laying peacefully before her. Memories of Takeru suddenly assailed her every senses. She felt his presence all around her, overwhelming her. The world began to spin and her head suddenly became very heavy. She called out Takeru's name before her vision turned to black._

            

"Hikari?"

            She blinked a few times. She was in her classroom, sitting at her desk, speaking to her brother.

            "Hikari?"

            "I…I'm sorry, Taichi, what?"

            "I said are you okay?"

            "Yeah…I'm okay. I…I guess seeing Takeru…lying like that in the coffin…" Tears began to form in her eyes, but she pushed them back, "But…at least we know he's not a zombie or something like that."

            "Yeah," Taichi said, "But what the hell is Karetu then?"

            "I don't know," she said, "and I don't think I _want_ to know."

            "I'd better go," he said, "Sora's coming out of the shower."

            Hikari blinked. "What?"

            "It's not what you think. I'll see you later."

            "Bye Oniichan," she said, turning her phone off.

111

            Taichi had just put his phone in his pocket when Sora came back into the living room with Piyomon trailing behind her. She was dressed in a spaghetti-strap blue dress that hung to her curves perfectly. He was staring at her, lost in her entire being before Piyomon's voice broke the spell.

            "Taichi, it's nice to see you again."

            "Oh, you too…"

            She looked around. "Is Agumon here?"

            "No," he said, "We have to go get him."

            The pink bird sighed in annoyance. "I guess it's back to being a backpack again." She fluttered up to Sora's shoulders and locked her wings around her neck.

Taichi blinked. "You pretend she's your backpack?"

            Sora shrugged. "Hey, I'm a girl, remember? It's not as weird as if _you_ carried Agumon around like that."

            Taichi chuckled. "I guess you're right." He opened the door for them, and they exited the apartment. "Oh, by the way, Maria's gonna come with us too."

            "Maria?" Sora gasped, "Who the hell is Maria?"

111

            Yamato groaned loudly as he rubbed his forehead. "Oh man, my head…." He blinked a few times, staring at his surroundings. "I'm hung over, but at least I'm hung over in my own apartment."

            He threw his sheets off and put his feet on the ground. It took him a few times before he was able to stand, and he limped into the hall, stepping over Gabumon X, who was snoring loudly on the ground. He was half-way to the kitchen before he realized that someone was in the kitchen, clamoring with pots and pans. He thought he had brought someone home with him last night in his drunken stupor.  "Oh shit."

            He took a deep breath, hoping the girl would not kill him when he told her he did not even remember her name. He stepped into the kitchen and saw a girl with short black hair making eggs in one of the frying pans. She turned to him and smiled. "Good morning, Yamato."

            Noriko! That was right, he had offered her part of his apartment after they had rescued her and Maria from Digitalatri.

            "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

            "Um…I guess so."

            Noriko smiled and handed him a glass filled with a strange concoction of multicolored liquid. "Here, this might help with the hangover."

            "Oh, I guess you saw me then?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry about it, my parents liked to hit the sauce a little too hard. I'm used to it. This was my father's secret recipe."

            "Thank you," he said, sipping the drink. He glanced into the living room and blinked in awe. "Oh no, you didn't…clean, did you?"

            "Well, I just put the trash in the trash can and the clothes in the hamper…"

            "I have a hamper?" he asked, "And a trash can?"

            She nodded. "I found them holding up the top of your kitchen table."

            He glanced at the table, which was still hovering a few feet over the floor. "So then how…?"

            "The table legs were in your closet, with your vacuum…still in the box…"

            He rubbed his eyes. "All right…all right, big surprise, the single, 24-year-old man is a slob."

            Noriko handed him a plate of eggs and rice. "Here."

            "You didn't have to…"

            "You let me stay here, this is the least I can do."

            "Thanks," he said, sitting down.

            Noriko returned the smile and began to clean up the kitchen. As she did, the telephone on the wall began to ring. Yamato rose to get it, but she reached it first. "Hello, Ishida resid….Excuse me? I…I don't…."

            Yamato gave her a questioning expression. She put her hand over the transmitter end of the phone. "I don't understand what they're saying?"

            "You don't?"

            "It's not Japanese or Chinese, so no." She handed him the phone and he put it to his ear.

            "Hello…Oh, _Bonjour_. _Bonjour monsieur Rupert. Catherine ? Elle avait des rêves surnaturels ? Oui, je serai là aussitôt que je peux_. _Au revoir."_ As soon as he put the phone back, he ran into his room.

            "Who was that?" Noriko asked, running after him.

            "Henri Rupert!" he shouted through his closed door.

            "Who?"

            "Catherine's father."

            "Who's Catherine?"

            "A Chosen from France. She had some weird dreams last night, and her father thinks I could help."

            "You?"

            "Yeah, she's pretty shaken up about the whole thing. He asks her about it, but she just says it has to do with the Digital World."

            "So why did he call you?"

            "During the Christmas invasion, Takeru was in France. He met Catherine and introduced her to me. We've been in touch ever since."

            "Really?" she asked as he opened the door.

            "Yeah," he answered, now fully dressed.

            "So that's how you learned French?"

            "My mother's French," he responded, lightly pushing Gabumon X with his foot.

            The short-haired girl hesitated. "Um…can I come too?"

            "What?"

            "I…I've never really been anywhere except for Japan and China. And I've always wanted to see Europe and America…"

            He shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

            She grinned. "Thanks."

            The blond man sighed in annoyance as he pushed Gabumon X harder. "Gabumon, wake up!"

111

            Taichi kicked open the door and marched inside, carrying Maria on his back. Sora came through a moment later, leaning on her crutches. Piyomon marched in a moment later, and Agumon X was last, with Maria's Patamon resting on his head. Taichi glanced around at the tavern, which looked similar to a medieval pub, hosting a variety of Chosen and their digimon partners. Many of them had some degree of BD-2, but there were quite a few that appeared to be healthy. "This is a pretty deserted town," Taichi commented. He mentioned to the bar. "Come on.

            The small group walked over to the bartender. "Excuse me…" he began, but the bartender only looked at him strangely. Taichi closed his eyes hard for a moment. "Uh, _Zdravstvuite…Yuri Rutskoy..?"_

            The young bartender nodded and shouted to the back room in Russian. A reply was heard echoing through the halls a moment later. The bartender mentioned to the room. Taichi nodded. "_Spasibo"_

            As they walked through the halls, Sora, Maria and their partners exclaimed at the same time, "You speak Russian?"

            "He had to learn," Agumon X said.

            "He did?" Sora asked.

            "Yes," he nodded, "For my college major, I needed to take at least the introductory courses to the major languages of the United Nations."

            "Really?" Piyomon gasped, "How…how many…?"

            Taichi glanced to the ceiling and began to count on his fingers, "Arabic, Chinese, French, English, Russian and Spanish."

            "You can speak all those languages?" Maria gasped, her eyes opened wide.

            Taichi chuckled. "No, I only have to take the _introductory_ courses. So I can say hello, thank you, goodbye, surrender now or we'll blow up your country, you know, stuff like that…"

            The Latino girl chuckled slightly, then frowned, "T..that's not funny…"

            Sora sighed. "That's just Taichi's warped sense of humor."

            "Hey," Agumon X protested, "I thought it was funny."

            "You would…" Piyomon muttered.

            The group continued through the hall until they reached a wooden door. Taichi knocked and immediately the door flew open to reveal a blond-haired young man on the other side. He was dressed in a blue t-shirt and thick jeans. He grinned and threw his arms into the air. "Taichi, welcome my friend! Welcome!"

            "Hi Yuri," he said, stepping inside, "I don't think you've met, but the girl on my back is Maria. And I think you know Sora and Piyomon…"

            He looked past Taichi and saw the redheaded young woman smiling at him. "Ah, Sora! Piyomon, welcome to Zeradza." He noticed Sora's crutches and frowned. "Oh no, you also have BD-2?"

            She blinked. "Also?"

            He frowned and mentioned inside the room. They entered and saw a young woman with short blond hair, dressed in a sleeveless red turtleneck, a matching skirt, and a thick bandage wrapped around her eyes. She was carrying a long, metal stick, which she used to tap the floor. At her side was a large blue penguin.

            Sora felt her heart sink. "Anna?"

            The woman smiled. "Sora, good to have you here once again."

            Sora limped over. "Oh my god, you're...t-the BD-2 took your eyes, didn't it?"

            She nodded. "Yes, that is true."

            "I'm so sorry!"

            She smiled. "You need not be. You have it too, right?"

            "But…" She placed a hand over her left eye, which was bandaged as well.

            Taichi stared at her, worry clearly visible in his eyes. He placed Maria down in one of the chairs. "Uh, Yuri, you said you had information about Digitalatri?"

            He frowned and handed him a piece of paper, which he unfolded and read aloud, "Attention representatives of Nightsun, we of the Digitalatri, lay claim to your city. If you do not had over the city and vacate within twelve hours, we will use force. Chihi Miayag."

            "We received that early this morning."

            "Wait," he said, "What's Nightsun?"

            "It's a city far to the north," Anna answered, "Very far."

            "So why is it called Nightsun?" Maria's Patamon asked.

            "Because it is so far to the north that the sun does not set for half of the year," she answered, "It is a very old city."

            "How old?" Maria asked.

            "Ancient," she responded, "The buildings are made of a very old stone that does not exist anywhere else in the Digital World anymore. It is a dying city in the middle of a wasteland, why does Digitalatri want it?"

            Taichi rubbed his chin. "How many people are living there?"

            "We have a Chosen population of over 400, not counting their partners."

            "That's 800," Taichi said.

            Yuri nodded. "That is the reason we have called you. For many of these Chosen, it is their home, we cannot hand it over."

            Taichi was pacing the floor. "How many of those Chosen can actually fight?"

            "Many of them are…well enough. I do not know how it is possible, but Jyou believes that because of the cold temperature, the BD-2 virus moves much slower."

            Sora turned to Maria. "We should move up here, huh?"

            The younger girl laughed slightly.

             "All right," Taichi said, "Let's at least see what kind of army you have. I'll call Yamato and tell him to get up here as soon as he can."

            "What about Hikari?" Sora asked.

            "She has a date!" Patamon cheered.

            "Really?" Sora asked, "With who?"

            "Some other teacher she met…" Agumon X said.

            "If we are to go, we had better leave now," Yuri said, "There is no Digital Gate there, so we must travel north to reach it." He walked to the table, which contained a dozen thick parkas. "You will need these."

            After they dressed in the thick coats, Taichi turned to Yuri. "How are we going to get there? Agumon is the only one who can evolve…."

            He smiled and opened another door in the rear of the room, this one leading to the outside of the building. Standing in the snow was a group of large elephant-like creatures. "Mammon express!"

111

            Noriko's eyes were wide with delight as she surveyed the streets of Valenciennes. "Wow, this is…beautiful!"

            Yamato shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

            She gave him an odd expression. "I've been here too many times already," he said.

            "So that's how you knew which Digital Gates to take, huh?" she asked with a slight smile.

            He nodded. "Yup. Now…" He started to look around at his immediate surroundings. They had exited from the Digital Gate in front of an electronics store displaying a computer in the window. Yamato looked at the street names. "Okay, Catherine's house should be…" He pointed down a street, "Down this one. Come on."

            They continued through the streets, much to Noriko's amusement, before they arrived at a very large house nestled in a grass-covered field. Yamato knocked on the door and it was opened a moment later by a woman wearing a maid's outfit. "Uh, _Bonjour. Mon nom est Yamato Ishida, je dois ici voir monsieur Rupert et Catherine._"

            She nodded. "_Oui, entrez s'il vous plait._"

            Yamato nodded and walked inside, followed by Noriko and their partners. The maid walked over to a phone attached to the wall next to the door. She put it to her head and pressed one of the buttons. "_Catherine, Yamato Ishida est ici….Oui…"_ She turned to them. "_Suivez-moi s'il vous plait."_

            Yamato nodded and began to follow her. Noriko and the digimon quickly ran to keep up. The maid led them to the top floor, past red carpets, walls filled with elegant paintings, and antiques resting on pedestals.  Noriko whispered into Yamato's ear. "How are they so rich?"

            "You don't need to whisper," he said, "Only Catherine speaks Japanese."

            "Oh, uh….how are they so rich?"

            "Her father is a major figure in France's politics. I don't know how, but her mother's an artist and art dealer, and Catherine was a teen model, before the BD-2."

            "Oh, she has it too?"

            Yamato nodded. "Yeah."

            Noriko was silent as the maid led them to a door at the end of the hall. She knocked once, and a female voice replied. "_Vous pouvez entrer."_

            The maid entered and mentioned to the group of Japanese Chosen. "Yamato Ishida, _Mademoiselle._"

            A young woman with curly blond hair and wearing a white t-shirt, a green tank top and a light green, ankle-length skirt walked over to them from behind a dark-stained desk. She hugged Yamato tightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Ah, _Monsieur Ishida comment allez-vous_?"

            The blond young man smiled and mentioned to Noriko. "This is Noriko Kawada."

            Catherine looked at her and smile. "Ah, you have the BD-2?"

            Noriko sighed. "Yes."

            The French woman smiled slightly. "Then maybe I do not need zis…" She reached at the top of her hair and pulled it completely off, revealing it to be nothing but a wig. She chuckled. "It does become itchy."

            "What did you want to see me about?" Yamato asked.

            Catherine's smile faded. "_Oui._" She brought them over to the desk, where a series of drawings were resting. "Zis iz what I dreamed of last night. Ze images were burning so deeply into my mind zat I could not rest until zey were on paper."

            The two Japanese Chosen stared at the drawings. "What do they mean?" Noriko asked.

            Catherine shrugged. "I do not know."

            There was a multitude of different images: one displayed a woman holding a strange staff, a group of seven beings of multiple colors with strange symbols floating above their heads, two figures, one male and one female, standing back to back with words coming out of their mouths, and another image of a supreme dark shadow battling a supreme white mist. Every picture gave off an, evil, foreboding feel.

            Noriko stared at Yamato with wide eyes, while Yamato swallowed hard. "Oh man…"

111

            Taichi's group was gripping the back of their Mammon riders as they charged across the snow-covered ground. Taichi, Yuri, and their partners were on one, while the girls and their partners rode another. Sora and Anna were chattering like two old friends, while Maria added her own comments every few minutes. Taichi and Yuri tried to listen to the conversations, but tried not to make it appear that they were listening.

            "How are you holding up?" Sora asked.

            Anna smiled. "Well."

            "You don't have to lie you know," the redhead said.

            "It is tough," Anna said.

            She sighed. "I'm…I'm just so sorry…."

            "For what?" she asked.

            "Um..y…you know…."

            "Because I'm now blind, you believe that I'm helpless?"

            "No!" she gasped, "I…I mean…"

            Anna smiled. "I may not have my sight, but that does not mean that I can no longer help save this world."

            "I'm sorry," Sora said, "I didn't mean to…"

            Her smiled grew. "I believe that Yuri and Taichi are listening."

            The redhead shot her head to the other Mammon and saw the two young males blush and turn away. "How did you know that?"

            "I could no longer here them talking," she responded.

            Maria stared at the Russian woman for a moment before speaking. "You like him, don't you?"

            "Yeah, she does," her Penmon added.

            The blond girl began to shout at him in Russian, and he replied in kind. They continued like this for five minutes before Maria coughed. "Excuse me…"

            The two suddenly remembered that they were not alone, and both began to blush. "Um," Sora said, "About Yuri…"

            She sighed. "Our relationship is…complicated. Ever since Lola passed on, he has become…protective."

            "Yeah," Sora said, glancing away, "I know what that's like…"

            Anna was about to question her, but she gasped loudly. She shouted to Yuri in Russian, and he ordered his Kokuwamon X to evolve to Kuwagamon X, who managed to use his wings to create a massive wind storm that deflected an energy blast.

            "What the hell?" Taichi gasped.

            "Someone is attacking!" Anna shouted, "I could hear and feel the energy coming this way!"

            "Who?" Agumon X shouted.

            He was answered when a beam of purple light shot from the heavens and exploded into the ground before them, sending up a wave of snow into the air. Two figure were standing in the crater of snow; one was dressed in a purple cloak while the other had the appearance of an older man wearing a multicolored robe, a long beard, and carrying a staff. The figure in the purple cloak's face was hidden by the shadows of his hood.

            The Chosen Children stood in awe. "Who...who is that?" Sora asked, Maria poking around from behind her back.

            "I've seen him before," Taichi responded, "With six others."

            "You remember, huh?" he laughed, "Glad to hear it."

            "What do you want?" the messy-haired young man demanded.

            "I have come for one among you," he said, "And she is coming with me."

            "Who?" Taichi demanded.

            "You're just gonna have to figure that out for yourself."

            "Taichi," Yuri said, "We don't have time for this…"

            "He's right," Agumon X said, "We've got to organize Nightsun's armies before Digitalatri attacks."

            Taichi glanced over at the females riding on the other Mammon and frowned. An unfortunate symptom of BD-2 was the lost of the ability to evolve. If Maria had not returned to Earth, then her Patamon would still be in his Adult form of Centarumon, now neither he, Piyomon or Anna's Penmon could evolve. It would be Greymon X, Yuri's Kuwagamon X and the two Mammons against the purple-wearer. It would have to be enough.

            He looked back at stared at the enemy. "We don't have time. Get out of the way, or we're going to go through you!"

            He chuckled. "Then do it."

            Taichi knelt down to whisper in to the ear of the Mammon that he was riding atop. "Can you help us?"

            "Of course," he responded, "Just tell me what you want me to do."

            "Greymon X and Kuwagamon X are going to lead the attack, just act as backup."

            He nodded. "Understood."

            Taichi reached for his digivice and mentioned to Agumon. "Ready?"

            He nodded. "Yup! Agumon X evolve to Greymon X!"

            Taichi watched his partner lumber in front of the Mammon and stood beside Kuwagamon X. "Then let's go!" he said, staring at the digimon behind the cloak-wearer.

            The digimon crackled with laughter. "I'm afraid I'm not fighting."

            Kuwagamon X blinked. "You're not?"

            The purple-wearer laughed. "We have orders from higher up."

            Taichi raised an eyebrow. "That guy in the orange cloak, he's in charge, right?"

            He did not answer.

            "Get on with it already!" Yuri shouted, "We don't have time for this!"

            "Too true," he responded. "Barbamon!"

            The digimon waved his hands and another burst of purple light exploded before them, revealing another towering figure, this one a large black dinosaur. "Dark Tyrannomon?" The Chosen and their partners gasped in awe. The summoned-monster slammed his head into Greymon X's stomach, then swung him into Kuwagamon X, knocking them to the side.

            "Get him, Mammon!" Taichi ordered.

            The Mammon pointed his snout at the dark dinosaur and fired a breath of cold steam. "Tundra Breath!"

            Dark Tyrannomon jumped out of the way and expunged a blast of fire at the second Mammon, which was carrying the BD-2 infected girls and their partners. Kuwagamon X leapt in front of the attack and batted it aside with his arm. He shot forward to head-butt the Dark Tyrannomon, which sent him tumbling backwards. Greymon X swung his tail around, smacking the other dinosaur in the face. Dark Tyrannomon pushed them aside and fired another fire blast at the young women, this one halted by the Mammom they were riding.

            "It's the girls!" Taichi shouted, "He wants one of…." He trailed off as he thought of what Yamato said the mysterious Karetu was after, Lynna Jeffry.

            Kuwagamon X shot in from the sky, heading towards Dark Tyrannomon's back. Unfortunately, the evil dinosaur spun around at the last second, shooting his fire attack, striking the large beetle in the eyes. He began to flutter around, unknowingly hitting Greymon X. Dark Tyrannomon ran towards the young women once more. The Mammon they were riding on and the Mammon Taichi and Yuri were riding on both attacked, firing glowing blades from their tusks, "Tusk Strikes!"

            Dark Tyrannomon fell to his side and the two glowing tusk flew over top of him where they continued on and smashed into each other. Taichi and Yuri's Mammon managed to stay on his feet, but the two male Chosen were flung from his back and slammed into the snow. The women's Mammon was thrown to the ground, throwing them onto the ground as well. The Dark Tyrannomon charged over to them. Maria stared with horror as she leaned forward on her arms, frozen in fear. With her crutches lost somewhere in the snow, Sora had to crawl over to where Maria was and threw herself in front of her.

Despite her brave front before, Anna was now completely disoriented. She tried to calm herself, and take in her surroundings by using her sense of hearing to place where her enemy was located. That did not tell her where the Dark Tyrannomon was, it was Sora and Maria screaming to her to roll out of the way. She was soon able to determine exactly from what direction the dinosaur was coming due to the ground shaking. Her heart was gripped with fear, but this fear was replaced with another feeling, a feeling that grew and grew, eventually exploded from her body.

            The others stared in awe as Anna's body was lifted into the air, her body radiating with dark blue light. This same light struck her Penmon, and he too, began to glow with light. "Penmon evolve to Unimon!"

            Anna was aware that her partner had evolved through their connection, but she still gasped in confusion. "U…Unimon?"

            _"Da!_" he grinned, trotting over to where she was so she could climb onto his back.

            The others were still in awe. "He evolved," Patamon said.

            "It was that weird light from Anna," Piyomon responded.

            Taichi and Yuri managed to climb back to their feet. "Greymon!" he shouted.

            "Kuwagamon!" Yuri screamed.

            The two X-digimon leapt to attention as they stared at Dark Tyrannomon. Anna and Unimon joined them a moment later. The black dinosaur roared and charged forward. Unimon shot forward and began to encircle him. His eyes focused on the unicorn, leaving him open for Greymon X's own fire attack, which struck the other dinosaur in the chest with such force that it sent him tumbling backwards. Kuwagamon X used his razor sharp mandibles to grip the sides of Dark Tyrannomon, squeezing as tight as he could, tearing the dinosaur in half. He vanished a moment later.

            The figure in the purple cloak began to clap. "Excellent work. Just as I suspected."

            Taichi turned to him. "What are you talking about? Is this still part of you damn experiment?"

            He shrugged. "Yes, I suppose it is." He stared at each of the Chosen and their partners. "You're wondering who I am, aren't you?"

            "The thought crossed our minds," Sora spat.

            The figure chuckled and reached for the hoods of his cloak and pulled it down, revealing his face. The Chosen were stunned into silence. The hair was bluish black, and he was slightly taller, but the face was that of the deceased Chosen Koushiro Izumi.

            "What the f…?" Taichi managed to say.

            "Just like Takeru!" Greymon X said.

            The figure bowed slightly. "I am Shiokuro, the Demon Scientist and this is my partner, Barbamon. Chosen, we shall meet again…"

            "No!" Taichi shouted, "I want answers!"

            "Answers?" he asked, "You think I'm giving you answers? Ha! What I know is for me and me alone. It's mine, all mine, and you're not getting it!"

            Taichi was seething with anger. "You son of a bitch!"

            Shiokuro only grinned as he and his partner vanished in a burst of purple light.

111

            Noriko had wanted to sightsee, and Catherine agreed to be her tour guide. Yamato decided to trail along, as did their digimon partners. The French girl had donned her blond wig to travel outside, even though Yamato figure that people would be staring more at their digimon partners then at the fact that she was bald. Yet he figured that her confidence was teetering, so he said nothing. She did not even seem worried about her strange dreams anymore. Was it because he was there, or just because _someone_ was there? He knew that she had some feelings for Taichi and Takeru, but was that the only reason she like him?

            He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "Mom was right, I do think about girls too much."

            Gabumon X glanced up at him. "What?"

            He shook his head. "Nothing."

            Noriko and Catherine were chattering loudly with their partners. Yamato hung in the back, staring carefully at them. "Which one are you looking at?"

            He twisted to his partner. "What?"

            He shifted. "I…I was just wondering which one you were looking at, because…then I might be able to…ask one of their partners out…"

            The young man chuckled. "Really?"

            He blushed and turned away. "Yeah well…"

            Yamato reached over to place his hand on his partner's back when he heard Noriko call out to him. He turned towards her and gasped. Standing a few feet in front of Catherine and Noriko was a familiar young man draped in a yellow cloak. His hood was removed this time, and his partner, Beelzebubmon, stood behind, arms crossed. Behind them, a large crowd of people were staring, a safe distance behind. "Karetu!" Yamato and Gabumon X shouted.

            Catherine and Noriko both were staring with wide eyes at the man's face. "T…Takeru?" Catherine gasped, "_Mon Dieu! Takeru, Vous êtes morts! Comment pouvez-vous être ici?_"

            Yamato ran in front of her. "It's not Takeru," he said, narrowing his eyes at his enemy, "It's….something else…"

            Karetu only smirked. "Glad to see that you remember me."

            "What do you want?"

            "I've got orders to destroy you, nothing personal…"

            Yamato nodded at Gabumon X. The Child digimon trotted forward, evolving to Garurumon X. The large canine glared at Beelzebubmon. "All right, let's go."

            The demon smirked and shook his head. "It ain't gonna be me."

            Yamato blinked. "What?"

            Karetu sighed in annoyance. "The boss wants us to back off this time." He held up his  digivice, sending a beam of yellow light into the air that arced and smashed into the ground, sending up a geyser of light. When it faded, a familiar digimon was standing before them, a green creature with long tusks attached from his shoulders. "I'm sure you remember Tuskmon?" he asked.

            Neither Yamato nor his partner answered. "All right," Karetu said, "Go ahead, Tuskmon, tear them apart."

            The shoulder-horned digimon roared, sending the people in the area screaming from the battlefield. Tuskmon charged forward. "Slamming Tusks!"

            Garurumon X attempted to leap out of the way, but the green-skinned digimon jabbed him in the side. Yamato called out his partner's name as the large canine roared in pain. He pointed his mouth at the direction of his opponent and sent out a blast of blue energy. "Fox Fire!"

            The energy blast struck the digimon, freeing him from Garurumon X's shoulders. The large canine pushed forward on his powerful hind legs, tackling Tuskmon onto the ground. He began to jab at him with his powerful teeth, attempting to tear away at the green digimon's chest. The tusk-shoulder digimon battled him aside with a swipe of his tail. Once Garurumon X was on his side, Tuskmon once again jabbed his shoulder-based horns into the wolf's side, causing him to scream.

            "Garurumon!" Yamato shouted.

            "Allergy Shower!"

            "Puppy Howling!"

            Tuskmon glanced to the side as Floramon and Plotmon's combined attack struck him in the side. He was completely unharmed.

            He snarled as he glared at the two Child digimon. He raised one of his legs and slammed it down with such force that it caused the ground to shake, sending the Child digimon and their partners to the ground. Catherine climbed to her feet ran to Floramon, who was struggling to stand. She hugged her partner tightly and continued to watch in horror as Tuskmon lifted Garurumon X with his shoulder-horns and began to punch him with his fists. She turned to Karetu. He looked like Takeru, except for his bowl-cut brown hair, but his smile was Takeru's, a sinister, evil smile. Yamato said it was not him, but his face…it looked so much like him…

            Catherine began to feel a strange feeling welling up inside her. Her body began to exploded with bright white light, enveloping the battlefield. Yamato twisted to her. "That's what happened to that Lynna girl…"

            Floramon felt a sudden impulse of energy. "Floramon evolve to Kiwimon!"

            "She…evolved…" Plotmon gasped, "But how? The BD-2…she shouldn't be able to!"

            "Kiwimon…" Catherine gasped, "I am zo happy you're back..."

            Karetu cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, I think you've forgotten about this battle! Tuskmon!"

            The green-skinned digimon grinned as Garurumon X was hanging from his shoulder horns. "Kiwimon!" Catherine shouted, "Free Garurumon X!"

            She opened her mouth and fired a stream of bird-shaped daggers from at Tuskmon's face. "Pummel Peck!"

            The green-skinned creature batted the attack away with his muscular arm.

            "Puppy Howling!"

            He turned his head in the other direction and watched as Plotmon screamed a long howl. Tuskmon remained unharmed, but it distracted him enough for Kiwimon to fire her attack again. When he spun around at the last second, two of her bird-shaped dagger struck the green creature in the eyes. He swung his body around in pain, jarring Garurumon X free.

            "Garurumon, are you okay?" Yamato shouted as his canine partner fell onto his side, "Garurumon!"

            Tuskmon was still seething with pain as he ripped the daggers from his eyes. He glared at Kiwimon, who stood defensively in front of Catherine, but his eyes drifted to Garurumon X, who was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain. He chuckled evilly and charged at the fallen canine, his fists clenched and ready. Garurumon X suddenly twisted his head fired a massive stream of blue flame. "Fox Fire!" At such a close range, the canine's attack easily tore through the green digimon stomach, ripping him apart from within. Once his enemy was gone, Garurumon X's head fell to the ground.

            Yamato ran to his side while the others turned to Karetu. They waited to see what the self-proclaimed Demon Hunter would do next. They were fearful that Beelzebubmon would leap into attack, and they were not even sure what level the demon digimon was currently at. He smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

            "For what?" Noriko asked.

            "The boss needed some more data."

            "Data?" Yamato asked, "This is part of your damn experiment?!"

            Karetu only waved as he and Beelzebubmon vanished in a burst of yellow light.

111

            Following their encounter with Karetu, Yamato, Gabumon X and the girls returned to Catherine's house, where she ordered a meal for them. Noriko was speechless as she surveyed the massive dinning room. The table was long in length, so they sat at the end nearest to the door. The short-haired girl's eyes widened and her mouth began to water as the maids brought the food to them, a cornucopia of meat, cheese, vegetables, and bread. She eagerly delved into the feast while Yamato tapped his finger on the table. Catherine was lightly rubbing her hands. She finally turned to the older blond man. "Who waz zat?"

            "I don't know," he said.

            "He…he looked just like Takeru!"

            "I know," he said, "But…what happened to you back there? You got Floramon to evolve, with the BD-2 virus, she shouldn't be able to."

            "I don't know," she said, "It waz…zo unreal…almost…like I was dreaming…."

            "Well, something like that happen to another girl, named Lynna Jeffry, from Australia," he explained, "Karetu attacked just like he did before, and somehow some kind of energy came out of her and her partner evolved."

            "And she haz ze BD-2?"

            He nodded. "Yeah."

            "You know what I think?" Noriko asked, her mouth full of food, "We need to take those drawings of Catherine's dreams to someone who can tell us what they mean."

            "Yeah," Yamato said, "I really wish Koushiro was here…"

            "Wait," Catherine said, "I have an idea. Zere is someone who might be able to help us. She lives in the Southern Continent of ze Digital World."

            "Who?" Gabumon X asked.

            "She's sort of like a Chosen wise man," Floramon said.

            "Let's go," Yamato said.

            Catherine grinned. "I will let her know we are coming."

            "Hey, wait," Noriko said, holding up her plate of food, "Can I at least finish this?"

To be continued………


	6. The Book of Pestilence: Chapter 3

Author's note: Special thanks to everyone who reviewed, it is much appreciated. Please enjoy this next chapter.

_My name is Yamato Ishida, and I always hated it when I heard that people never change. People change all the time. I know that from first hand experience. I changed, my friends changed, we all changed. I'm a far cry from the angry kid I was when I was ten. My parents got divorced, and it was the entire world's fault. I hated everybody and everything. It didn't help that I was alone most of the time, either. It was just Dad and me, and he was usually at work. But that was before the Digital World. That was when I met the first real friends I ever had. They helped me overcome the darkness that I felt in my heart. Everyone, even Taichi._

            _ Yes, Taichi. My so-called 'rival.' Yeah, we fought at lot, and…I hate to admit it, but I was jealous of him. He always seemed so carefree. He claimed that he knew what me and Takeru were going through, but I never believed him. Then I found out he had a little sister, and I thought that maybe he did know. I mean, he seemed to have more of a handle on the big brother thing then I did, and everyone looked up to him. _

_            But that was up until a few years ago, and he simply disappeared from our lives. He moved away and broke off all contact. He said it was because of Koushiro and Daisuke, after they died, he just sort of lost it. I don't want to think about what would have happened to him if Hikari had died. _

_            I mean, I lost someone important to me too. My little brother Takeru…gone forever. I made my peace with that, but now someone…something, appeared looking just like him.  Karetu…I'm never going to forget that name. I needed to go to France to see Catherine, who was having weird dreams, and Karetu attacked us again for no reason. He claimed it was because of his experiments, but Catherine exhibited some strange light and Floramon evolve, which, because of the BD-2, she shouldn't be able to. What is going on here?_

_Digimon Apocalypse:_

_Book of Pestilence_

_Chapter 3:_

            Hikari groaned as her hand fished from beneath the covers to slam on the snooze button of the radio which was blaring an ungodly alarm. She twisted around to sit at the edge of her bed for a moment, then snaked her feet into her white slippers and she pulled on her pink robe.

            She wandered into the kitchen, making sure to step over Plotmon X, who was curled on the floor. She made a pot of coffee, and poured herself a cup, knowing that Taichi would finish the rest. She pulled out a frying pan and grabbed a carton of eggs from the refrigerator. "Oniichan, are you awake?"

            She received no answer, so she walked to his room and gently pushed the door open. "Oniichan?" There was still no response so she walked inside only to find that his bed had not been slept in. She walked into the guest room, only to find that Maria was not there either. She realized that they had never come back from their trip to the Digital World.

            She ran for her cellphone and dialed her brother's number. She received no answer once more.

            "Something wrong?" Plotmon X asked as she walked out of their bedroom.

            "Taichi and Maria aren't here."

            "They're not?" she asked.

            "No, and I can't get an answer from his cellphone. I'm just worried that he's in trouble."

            "Come on, Taichi can take care of himself just fine."

            "I know, but…"

            "Don't worry," she said, "If he needs help, he'll call."

            "But what if he can't?" She sighed. "Oh Oniichan, be safe."

111

            The city called Nightsun was located with mountains to the rear of the city and a wasteland to the front, all covered with ice, a desert of undrinkable water. The city itself was ancient, with cracking streets and crumbling buildings, surrounded by a wall of thick stone, which was, surprisingly, still standing.

            Even more of a surprise to Taichi, Sora, Maria and their partners, was that the citizens, while suffering from the Second Black Death, did not display the energy loss common to most cases.

            "You said it had something to do with the cold temperature?" Sora asked.

            Yuri nodded. "Yes, that is what we believe."

            The red head nodded. "Then maybe the virus has something to do with hot and humid conditions?"

            As they continued to walk through the streets, past the crowds of Chosen and digimon, Taichi grinned at Sora, who was, although offered a ride, preferred to walk with her crutches through the cracking streets. Even though she was ill, she still strived to find a way to help others, even if it was only to find out a way to prevent the spreading of the disease. He was once again carrying Maria, and she noticed instantly.

            "Are you going to talk to her?"

            "What?" he asked.

            "Are you going to talk to her?" she asked again, "You know…_talk_…talk…?"

            Taichi began to blush. "Uh…um…."

            The young woman smiled and squeezed Taichi's shoulders slightly. "You can do it, you can do anything."

            The messy-haired young man returned the sign of affection by lightly squeezing what remained of her legs, the means by which he was holding her to his back. "Let's just worry about getting through this battle…"

            "I'm sure we'll be okay," she responded, "I have the feeling that you can do anything."

            Taichi only smiled as he continued to follow Yuri and Anna to a large building in the center of the city, one with towers reaching towards the sky, two giant wooden doors in the center, and stain-glass windows of varying sizes littered sides. Despite the decay of the city, this building was surprisingly in good condition.

            "What is this?" Sora asked.

            "The center of Nightsun," Yuri explained, opening the giant doors to let the others in. "Sort of like the capital building."

            "Building?" Patamon exclaimed, as they entered a courtyard-type room where they could see the sky. "It looks more like a castle or something!"

            "It might have been," Anna said, holding tightly to Yuri's hand as he led them to one of the halls on the right, "We of the Russian Chosen found it around six years ago, but no one could tell us anything about it."

            "I bet Koushiro could of," Taichi muttered.

            Sora turned to him and sighed slightly.

            Their journey took them up a flight of stairs into a room decorated with various artifacts: statue busts, cloth tapestries, gold and silver jewelry. Before any of them could ask, Yuri brought them through yet another door, which led to a balcony over-looking a wide open, square space, where most of the citizens of Nightsun were standing.

            Yuri mentioned to them. "This is our army."

            Taichi placed Maria down in a chair on the balcony and stared down at the assembled Chosen. He glanced at his watch, "Twelve hours until they attack…" He sighed deeply. "Well, let's get to work."

111

            The village of Namu lay within the center of the Southern Continent of the Digital World, also called the continent of Rom. The city was comprised of wooden homes rather then buildings of stone and concrete. Hundreds of Chosen and digimon lay sick in the streets, coughing, sneezing…dying.

            Catherine was horrified, trying her best not to let her emotions run wild and overwhelm her as she stood at the entrance to the city, staring at the pestilence in front of her. Still, she could not help exclaim her fear and sadness. "Zis…zis is horrible…"

            "I know," Noriko said, hugging her, "I've never seen a city this bad…um, except for Yclis."

            "Ycilis?" Catherine asked.

            "It's a city on the Server Continent where a lot of infected Chosen are living, I mean, _a lot._"

            "Oh, I zee," she said. She suddenly remembered Yamato. She turned around and almost screamed aloud. The blond young man was standing behind them, holding a tube of red lipstick. He pulled the top off and began to apply it to his face.

            "Uh…" the French woman said, "I don't zink zat is really your color…"

            "It's not going on my lips," he said, using it to draw a red circle on his cheek.

            "What are you doing?" Noriko asked.

            "If you haven't noticed, X-Chosen aren't too popular," he said, "If I don't disguise myself, there's gonna be a riot and I'll end up getting my ass handed to me." He continued applying the makeup until his face was covered in red circles. He turned to the girls. "How do I look?"

            Noriko's Plotmon smirked. "Say hello to Yama_ko_."

            He grumbled. "All right, let's go."

            They entered the city and traversed through the maze of streets. "Where are we going anyway?" Gabumon X asked.

            "I haven't zeen her in a few years, but I e-mailed her," Catherine explained, "So hopefully we'll see her around here some…there she is!" She began to leap into the air and wave her hands. "Mina! Mina! _Nahmahstay!"_

            The others watched as a young Indian woman and a small candle-like creature walked over to them. Her infection had taken one of her hands, but she used the other to lightly brush her hair. _"Bonjour Catherine,"_ she said.

            _"Bonjour._" Catherine replied, "How are you feeling?"

            "I am well," she said, smiling. She looked past her at the other Chosen. "Ah, hello."

The French woman nodded and mentioned to them. "This is Yamato Ishida, his partner, Gabumon, and Noriko Kawada, and her partner, Plotmon."

The Indian woman nodded. "My name is Mina Ashiawayra and this is my partner, Candmon."

            "Actually, I think we've met," Yamato said, "We're from the Odabia Chosen…"

            "You mean Koushiro and Hikari? How are they?"

            The blond man sighed deeply. "Koushiro….died…."

            She gasped loudly. "Oh, I…I did not know…But…Hikari?"

            "She's actually fine," he said, "She's…um…maybe we should talk in private."

            Mina nodded. "Yes. I have a place we can speak, it is outside of the city."

            "Anywhere other then here," Yamato said, "I think my lipstick's starting to melt."

            The Indian Chosen raised an eyebrow. Gabumon X shook his head. "It's not what you think…"

            She chuckled slightly. "I certainly hope not. Please follow me."

111

            Anna, Sora, Maria and their partners were seated inside of the castle-building within the city of Nightsun. Anna was on the couch, holding a book opened with one hand while she ran her other hand over the pages. Maria was in a wooden chair, staring out of the window with Patamon in her lap. Sora was at one of the tables, drawing on a large sheet of paper she brought with her. Piyomon and Pennmon were lying on the floor, their eyes closed in sleep.

            Maria turned away from the window and focused on Anna. "What are you reading?"

            "Reading?" Patamon asked.

            The Latino girl blushed. "Oh Anna, I'm sorry…"

            The Russian woman smiled. "No, it is okay." She twisted the book around so the cover was facing her. She began to rub her hands over the pages. "This is called Braille, its how blind people read and write."

            Patamon nodded. Maria squeezed him tightly. "Now you need to remember not to be so rude."

            Anna smiled and continued to read. Maria turned to the other young woman. "What are you doing, Sora?"

            "I just had an idea for a jacket." She mentioned to the parkas that Yuri had given them.

            "Really?" Anna asked, "You can just see something and then think of an idea?"

            She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

            "Wow, that is amazing."

            She shook her head. "No, it's not that big a deal…"

            The blond woman shook her head. "No, I really envy you. I only wish that I could have such inspiration."

            "She's right," Maria said, "You're going to be a great fashion designer."

            Sora chuckled and waved her hands. "S-stop, you're making me blush!"

            Anna perked her head up. "What's wrong?" Sora asked.

            "The floor's creaking," she replied, "Someone's coming."

            The group turned their attention to the door as it quickly opened to reveal Taichi, Yuri and their digimon partners: Agumon X and Kokuwamon X. Sora looked at them anxiously. "Well?"

            The two young men glanced at each other. "Well…" Taichi began.

            The redhead's smile faded. "That bad?"

            "It's not that it's bad," he replied, "They just…because of the BD-2, they're not as strong as they should be."

            "So there is no hope?" Anna asked.

            Yuri walked over and grasped the blond woman's hands. "No, we will be okay."

            Maria smiled warmly at the sight, but when she turned back to Taichi, her smile faded. "So, what's the plan then?"

            Taichi began to pace the floor. "Well…at our present capacity…we're gonna get our assess kick."

            "So, are we gonna call Yamato and Hikari?" Agumon X asked.

            "Not just yet," he said, "I want to know why Miayag wants this place so bad. Let's send her an offer."

            "An offer?" his partner gasped.

            "I want to know why she's so interested in this city. There's got to be something here." He turned to Yuri, "How did she contact you the first time?"

            "She sent a messenger, who's staying in a camp outside of the city."

            "So you can contact her?"

            "Yes…"

            "Good. I've got a message I want her to bring to her boss."

111

            On the other side of the Digital World, Mina had led Yamato, Noriko, Catherine and their partners to a large-sized dwelling over-looking the city of Namu. Inside was a long hallway with dozens of small doors running along the walls. Once they exited the hall they passed by a large room where dozens of younger Chosen were playing with their digimon partners. "What is this place?" Noriko's Plotmon asked.

            "This was a…monastery of sorts," she responded, "For Chosen who need to learn how to be Chosen. Now, it is a place for those Chosen infected with the Second Black Death, for Chosen that have found themselves without homes."

            "I should move in," Noriko muttered. Yamato gave her a weird glance, but turned back to following Mina.

            The Indian Chosen eventually led them to a room near the back. It was decorated elegantly with diverse artifacts and carpeting. A large table in the center was covered with a feast of fruits and meats. A group of Chosen and their digimon partners stood around the wall.

The digimons' mouths began to water as they stared at the table, and Meramon's Candamon smiled. "Go ahead, help yourselves."

            They ran past their partners and leapt onto the table, even Gabumon X. Yamato sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry 'bout this…"

            Mina grinned. "No, it is okay. You are my guests, so please enjoy." She mentioned to the seats around the table, and the Chosen sat nearest to their partners. Mina sat at the head of the table and smiled warmly. "Now, how may I be of assistance to you?"

            Catherine glanced up, her mouth full of fruit. She swallowed it all at once and reached into her bag to pull out a thick stack of papers. "Um, I had a dream and I drew down everything I zaw. I cannot zink of what zey might mean. I zought zat you could…"

            The Indian woman nodded and gently took the drawings from her. She flipped through them quickly, and then looked back at the French woman. "Well, I think I will need some time to look these over." She mentioned to one of the Chosen standing against the wall, a dark-skinned girl with a Mushmon as a partner.

            Mina stood up. "This is Keeya Genet, a Chosen from Ethiopia. This is her partner, Mushmon. She is a top student of mine, allow her to show you around."

            The young woman bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

            Mina took Catherine's drawings and walked to the door. "I will look these over and come back to you as soon as I can." She turned to her student, "Keeya, they are our guest, and they are my friends."

            She nodded. "I understand."

            The Indian woman smiled and exited the room, her Candamon trailing behind.

111

            The Digitalatri were camped on the northern side of the Server Continent, close to the fringes of the snow-covered region. Their tents were a rainbow of colors, clustered together tightly. The largest tent was in the center, and it was a light pink color. Inside, Chihi Miayag, the leader of the church, stared at the piece of paper in her hand. She looked up at her emissary, a girl with a Tentomon for a partner. "And they said nothing else?"

            She shook her head. "No ma'am."

            Miayag waved her hand and the two emissaries exited. She turned to her Witchmon, who was seated within a wooden chair, the broom she normally rode around on was resting on the ground. "What does it say?"

            The prophetess chuckled. "Apparently they've called Yagami in to aid them."

            "You worried?"

            "I will not be swayed by anyone, reputation or not. He wishes to meet to discuss a possible compromise."

            Witchmon raised her eyebrow. "Really? What kind of compromise?"

            "He wishes to know why I desire that city so and perhaps there is a way for him to give it to me." She smiled, "His reputation does indeed do him justice, and his ploy to gain crucial information might have succeeded on anyone other then me." She began to pace the ground, "Besides, _if_ I was ignorant enough to reveal to him the knowledge of the Staff of Yuushi and the Machina Codex, then he would no doubt begin to search for them. And how could I convey to him the importance and significance of that city?!"

            She twirled to the entrance of her tent. "Paige!"

            The girl entered and bowed slightly. "Yes, ma'am."

            "Deliver my response to Yagami, tell him I refuse any and all conditions except the immediate surrender of the city. Remind him that he has only ten more hours to debate this offer. Go now!"

            The girl nodded. "Yes ma'am."

111

            Keeya had brought the traveling Chosen to an area behind Mina's monastery-like building to show them a massive garden of beautiful, vibrant colors.  Floramon and Catherine gasped in delight and ran past the others to admire the flowers. "Zis iz zo beautiful!"

            Floramon grasped one of the flowers and pulled it closer to her nose so she could smell it. "Why can't our garden look like this?"

            "Oh, you have a garden?" Keeya asked.

            Catherine nodded. "_Oui_, but our flowers don't look anyzing like zese…Maybe because it iz too cold back home…"

            "There are plants that can survive in the cold," the African woman responded.

            "Really?" the French woman asked.

            She smiled. "Maybe I can give you some….tips…"

            "You know about plants?" Noriko asked.

            "Hey, it's our job to take care of this entire garden!" Mushmon replied.

            "It's not that big a deal," Keeya protested.

            Yamato walked up beside her and they watched the other young woman admire the plants and flowers. "So how long have you been here?"

            "For six months," she said, "ever since the BD-2…" She glanced down at her right hand, which was bandaged tightly with white wrappings.

            "What about before that?"

            She frowned. "I have three brother and two sisters, and I am the oldest, so that is six children. We were never wealthy and my youngest brother, Toure, was not well at all. I took a job as a maid in the house of a wealthy landowner. That was until I got Mushmon, and was infected with the BD-2. I knew that I could not burden my parents with my sickness, so I said my farewells and came to this world. I was lost and confused, until I found Mina. She brought me here and helped me understand my partnership with Mushmon. I owe her everything."

            Yamato nodded. "Um, so what exactly does Mina teach you?"

            She smiled. "How to live."

            The blond man chuckled slightly.

            "So, you've never seen your parents for half a year?" Noriko asked

            She nodded.

            "Wow, I had to go to the Digital World because of Plotmon, she needed the energy of this world, but I still made sure I talked to my Mom and Dad."

            Keeya frowned. "Well, it's not exactly easy to talk to them when they have a hard time paying the phone bill!"

            "Easy…easy…" Gabumon X said, stepping between them.

            "I'm sorry," Noriko said.

            "No…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so mean like that." She forced a smile, "How long have you lived in the Digital World?"

            "Only a few weeks," she shrugged, "I moved to Ylicis with Hiroshi, Keiko and Takashi. That was until Digialatri got a hold of them and I had to move back to Earth." She crossed her arms, "Too bad, I was getting into a nice little rut in that city."

            Plotmon chuckled.

            Gabumon X turned to his partner. "Hey Yamato, you'd better call Akira and let him know that you're not gonna make practice tonight?"

            "Oh crap, you're right." He reached for his cellphone, only to discover a disappointing surprise. "Shit, it's off."

            "It's off?" Gabumon X asked, puzzled.

            "I forgot to turn it back on!" he exclaimed. He flipped open the cover and examined the screen. "I've got a message from Taichi." He walked off to the side to hear the voice mail.

            Catherine and Floramon were giggling loudly as they ran through the thick rainbow of flowers. The plant digimon laughed as she ran through the garden. "Come and get me!"

            "I will!" Catherine shouted, "Just you wait!"

            "She acts like a little kid," Noriko sighed.

            "Sometimes that not a bad thing," Keeya smiled slightly.

            "We've got an epidemic running through the Digital World, a religion that wants to kill us, and a group of our dead friends putting us in some kind of experiment. And she's supposed to be helping us stop that. I don't think it's time to act like that."

            The African woman shrugged. "But to find joy even in the depths of despair is a truly wondrous thing."

            Noriko opened her mouth to speak, but only grumbled and crossed her arms.

            Yamato put his phone back in his pocket and ran over to Noriko. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to go."

            "Go?" she asked.

            "Up north," he answered, "Taichi needs help in a city called Nightsun. Digitalatri's about to attack. We've got to go right now."

            "Yes, I think that is a good idea."

            They turned to the door and saw Mina and Candamon walking towards them. "We should all go to Nightsun."

            "Why, Lady Mina?" Keeya asked.

            The Indian woman flipped through the stack of Catherine's drawings. "This one here, it shows a collapsing city, surrounded by ice and snow, and this image here shows a woman holding a staff."

            "You think it's Nightsun?" Yamato asked.

            "I have never been there, but I do know it is located within the Digital World's Arctic Circle."

            "So it would be surrounded by snow…" Plotmon muttered.

            Yamato rubbed his forehead. "Well, we'd better get moving."

            Mina nodded. "Yes, we can leave as soon as you are ready." She glanced at the African woman, "You will be coming too, Keeya, I think it would be a good experience for you."

            She nodded. "If you think so."

            Yamato turned to the garden. "Catherine, we gotta go!"

            The French woman poked her head through a large bush of flowers, "_Que?_ Where are we going?"

111

            Garurumon X panted slightly as he pulled the large sled that was attached to his back which was currently carrying Yamato and the others across the snow-covered field. The Chosen were wrapped tightly in thick wool parkas, but only Yamato, Catherine and Floramon were not shivering.

            "Come on," Catherine said, "It's not that cold."

            "I…am…freezing!" Noriko snarled.

            The French woman shrugged and turned away. "Maybe if you stopped complaining about it, you would stop feeling zat way."

            Noriko growled. "And you're not cold?"

            She shook her head.

            "Oh, so what I heard about French women is true?"

            Catherine glared at her. "What?"

            The Japanese woman smirked. "That they have enough hair beneath their arms to make the _Yeren_ blush."

            Catherine leapt at her, tackling her to the snow covered ground. Yamato ordered Garurumon X to stop and Keeya and Mina leapt off of the sled to attempt to pry the two young women apart. Keeya grabbed Noriko while Mina yanked on Catherine. They were finally forced apart as a yellow light smashed into the ground only a few feet in front of them, sending up a wave of snow and ice. They leapt to their feet and Yamato and Garurumon, sans the sled, charged over.

"Karetu!" Yamato growled in anger.

            "And Beelzebubmon!" Gabumon X shouted.

            The self-proclaimed Demon Hunter smirked. "Well, looks like we're back at this again, huh?"

            "Who are you here for this time?" Yamato asked, "Noriko? Mina? Keeya? Who?!"

            Karetu only smirked. "Sorry, orders from the boss, gotta keep quiet."

            "The boss?" Noriko asked.

            "The Demon King."

            "The guy in the orange coat, right?" Yamato asked.

            He did not respond.

            The blond man sighed. "All right, whatever. Look, why don't you just tell us what's going on, so we don't end up wasting a lot of energy here…."

            "Sorry!" he laughed, snapping his finger as a yellow blast of light exploded before them, "That's not how it works!"

            Yamato sighed again as the yellow light faded to reveal the figure of a large spider. "Dokugumon," Gabumon X said.

            The blond man reached for his digivice. "Let's go!"

            "Gabumon X evolve to Garurumon X!"

            Catherine ran up behind him. "Should Floramon and I help?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but keep your eyes on Keeya, Mina and Noriko, he's got to be after one of them."

Floramon evolved to Kiwimon using the newly discovered power that Catherine had displayed and stood beside Garurumon X. Karetu waved his hands. "Get them!"

Dokugumon growled and charged forward. She opened her mouth a spewed out a stream of silk thread. "Poison Thread!" she shouted. Garurumon X maneuvered through them while Kiwimon moved around behind the spider and began firing her missiles. Dokugumon spun around and fired a purple cloud from her mouth which destroyed Kiwimon's missiles, but left her back open for an assault by Garurumon's claws. The spider threw the blue wolf into the ground. Kiwimon began to fire his missiles again, but Dokugumon displayed surprising agility and shot to the side. She fired her Poison Thread attack once more, managing to strike Kiwimon, throwing her into the ground and trapping her beneath a web of steaming purple energy. She began to scream as the poison seeped into her body.

            "Kiwimon!" Catherine screamed.

            "Save her!" Yamato ordered.

            Garurumon X growled in response and charged towards the trapped bird-digimon. Dokugumon suddenly leapt in front of him. She was about to attack with a stream of poison, but the large wolf jumped onto the spider's bag and landed on the ground. He spun around and sunk his teeth into her back. She roared and began to pound his face with her bag legs. He had no choice but to release his grip. The spider pounded him one last time, causing him to skid backwards. She twisted around and exhaled another attack of her Venom Blast, striking Garurumon X directly in the face.

            "Fight back!" Yamato shouted.

            The wolf managed to open his mouth fired a blast of blue energy that struck the spider in her face. She was injured, but still managed to head-butt him the trapped Floramon, and he collapsed onto the ground.

            "We have to help them!" Mina exclaimed.

            "How?" Keeya asked, "Our partners can't evolve!"

            "So we're just gonna give up?" her Mushmon gasped.

            "No, there's something we can do," Noriko said. She turned to Catherine, who was staring with horror at her partner, who was cringing under the pain of Dokugumon's poison web. "Catherine!" she shouted, "Catherine!"

            "What?" she gasped.

            "Karetu's here for one of us! How did you make Floramon evolve? What did you do?"

            "I…I don't know, it just kind of-of happened…"

            Noriko turned back to her Plotmon. "Come on, we've got to think of something!"

            Her partner gasped. "We've got another problem!" she shouted.

            Noriko twisted around and gasped as Dokugumon charged towards Mina and Keeya, their digimon standing protectively in front of them. "Plotmon!" she ordered.

            The small digimon leapt into the air and unleashed a scream of sound waves that caused the spider to swing her legs around in pain. Her anger began to rise and she fired her Poison Web attack into the ground that exploded in all directions. The Chosen and their partners braced for impact, but Noriko and Keeya began to glow in a familiar light, Noriko a black glow and Keeya a light green hue. Their partners began to glow as well.

            "Plotmon evolve to Black Tailmon!"

            "Mushmon evolve to Veggiemon!"

            "It happened again!" Catherine gasped.

            Keeya was amazed that her partner was able to evolve, but her surprise was soon changed to determination as Veggiemon leapt to attack Dokugumon. He began to pound her repeatedly with a series of quick punches from his vine arms. The spider was thrown off-guard, but quickly recovered and butted her head into the plant digimon, throwing him aside.

Noriko ordered her newly-evolved partner to attack. Black Tailmon charged at Dokugumon. The spider fired a web of silky threads, but Black Tailmon simply used her claws to slice through them. She continued on her path, ready to began an assault on the spider, but to her surprise Dokugumon suddenly exploded in a blast of energy. Once she landed on the snow-covered ground, she glanced up to see Beelzebubmon pointing his guns at him, grinning maliciously.

            "Sorry 'bout that," he grinned, "But our mission's complete now, we jus' didn't want ta go through that whole thing again."

            "They destroyed their own partner" Mina's Candamon gasped.

            Karetu held up his finger. "Ah…she was never our partner, just a tool ta be used up!"

            Yamato stared at him, then shook his head. "You're not Takeru. He would never have done something like that…"

            "I never said I was your brother," he laughed, "But then again, I'm a bit of a liar!"

            "You bastard," he replied.

            Karetu shrugged, then mentioned to his partner. "Let's go." He gave a final look at the others. "My mission with ya is finished, the next time we meet, I won't have ta hold back. Later." He once again vanished in a burst of yellow light.

111

            When Yamato's group finally arrived at the city, they were brought to the center building immediately, specifically, the top floor, where Taichi and the others were seated. Catherine and Noriko hugged Sora, Maria and Anna tightly, while Mina and Keeya stood to the side. Taichi marched over to the blond young man.

"Yamato!" Yagami shouted, "It's about time you got here!"

            "Hey, give me a break," he said, "I was in France, then in Namu…"

            "Where?" Maria asked.

            "A city in the Southern Continent," Mina smiled.

            The blond man turned to the brown-haired man. "So, what's going on?"

            Taichi took a deep breath, "Digitalatri sent Yuri a demand that he and the other citizens of the city get out or they're going to force them out. I offered a true, but Miayag refused." He shook his head, "I just wish I knew what she was after."

            "Well," Yamato said, "I've been pretty busy too. Catherine had these weird dreams, but she drew everything she saw down and we brought them to Mina."

            The Indian woman nodded. "Yes, and I would like to tell you everything I think I found from them, but…" She turned to Yuri, "This city, it is very old, right?"

            He nodded. "But we don't know how old."

            "Yes, I see. I believe that this city will be very important in what will soon occur. If I may, I would like to examine any artifacts and ancient writing or pictures you have."

            He hesitated and glanced at Taichi, who nodded. "Okay."

            "Wait," Catherine spoke up, "What about my dreams?"

            Mina smiled reassuringly. "I will be happy to tell you, but I would like to explain everything at once. Give me a few hours, and I will explain everything."

            She sighed and plopped down on one of the cushions. "Very well."

            The Indian woman turned to Yuri, who blinked for a moment. "Oh, yeah, um, well, please come with me."

111

            Mimi kept her smile on her face as she stared directly at the television camera. "And just remember that any meal needs love as well as food. This is Mimi, good night and good meal."

            "….and cut!" the director, "That's a rap!"

            Mimi's smile dropped and her shoulder's slouched. "Oh thank you." She reached behind her back and untied her apron, throwing in on the counter in front of her. "Ten hours of taping, I'm exhausted."

            The stage manager walked over and handed her a bottle of water. "Right about now I'll take a keg of beer."

            He gave her a slight smile. "Hey, ten hours worth of taping, you deserve a break."

            "And I'm taking it," she said, wiping her brow with a towel, "I'll see you in a few weeks."

He waved and she walked out of the studio to traverse the busy and chaotic halls, trying desperately to keep out of the way of the large machinery and wires scattered along the floor. She opened the door to her dressing room. "Oh my God, Palmon, that was the longest day I had in a long time…" She trailed off when she noticed that Palmon X was not in her usual chair. "Palmon?"

            "She's in the Digital World," a male voice answered, "Along with Betamon."

            The young woman's lips slid into a grin. "So, I guess I'll have to settle for you then, huh?" She closed the door and turned to her desk, where a young blond man was resting comfortably in the chair. She kissed him on the check before walking into the bathroom. "This is a surprise."

            "Yeah," Michael said, "That meeting didn't last as long as I thought, thankfully. I can't stand spending any more time with those cranky, old stingy producers. None of them had an original idea since the 80s!" He smiled slightly, "Which, oddly enough, is _when_ they were 80."

            He heard her chuckle through the door. She emerged a moment later, dressed in a light pink cowboy dress ending slightly above the knees, a dark yellow vest, and her trademark cowboy hat. Michael shook his head.

            "What?" she asked.

            He wanted to tell her that he thought she looked ridiculous, but what he actually said was, "It just amazes me how beautiful you really are."

            She grinned wildly and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. "Oh, you still know how to sweet talk me." She kissed him on the lips.

            "Well," he grinned, "I'd love to see with this is going to lead us, but I think we'd better get to the Digital World."

            She frowned. "Why?"

            "Have you heard of Digitalatri?"

            She shook her head. "No…"

            "Well, it's a new religion that started in the Eastern Continent of the Digital World, and it's spreading like wildfire. I hear they're giving Jyou and Yamato some trouble."

            "So?"

            "The problem is they're kind of violent, and now it's reached New Havenwood. Iduia's pretty nervous."

            Mimi sighed. "Let me guess, Palmon and Betamon are there, right?"

            He nodded. "Yeah."

            She shrugged. "All right, let's go."

111

            They arrived in the city of New Havenwood within an hour. The city itself was a bustling, chaotic center of trade and commerce. As it was not as poor as Ycilis, the Chosen, even those with BD-2, were healthier and livelier, filled with energy from nutritious food and clear water. Vendors lined the sidewalks and the main streets were a marketplace out of medieval times.

            Mimi and Michael pushed through the crowds until they arrived at a wooden booth at the end of street. This vendor was displaying a variety of jewelry of all types and metals. The young woman's face lit up as she reached for a pearl necklace polished with gold. "Oh, this is so beautiful! Oh, I love this!"

            A Kokuwamon was behind the counter. He glanced at Mimi, then at Michael, then back at Mimi. "You have a fabulous face for that necklace. Maybe your husband will buy it for you?"

            Michael grabbed it and began to examine it. "I don't know, it looks like a piece of crap to me."

            "Hey," the Kokuwamon said, "It's a _genuine_ piece of crap."

            Mimi sighed. "Well, I think I should get a discount for this."

            A slightly mechanized voice responded from inside the booth, "Why…don't…you…have …it…for…free?"

            "Free?" she asked, "So what's wrong with it?"

            "Anything…you…like…has…to…be…too…cheep."

            Mimi gasped, then smiled. "Okay, _that_ was a good one."

            A Chosen exited the booth and stepped into the street. It was a young woman with slightly dark skin, dressed in a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a sleeveless blue shirt. She wore a mask over her mouth and nose, connected to an oxygen tank on her back, a black box securely attached to her upper abdomen and connected to a tube that ran beneath her shirt, as well as another metal bag around her neck. The BD-2 had damaged her voice box, weakened her lungs, and all but destroyed her kidneys. She had become a mess of implants, tubes and blood and bone.

Mimi hugged her. "Iduia, how are you feeling?"

            The metal box around her neck began to vibrate, "I…think…the…BD-2…is… starting…to…slow…down…"

            "That's great." She glanced around, "Are Palmon and Betamon here?"

            "They're spying on Digitalatri" Iduia's Kokuwamon said.

            "Where?" Michael asked.

            "We…will…show…you…" Iduia said. She mentioned to a young man with an Elecmon who were standing behind them. They conversed in Portuguese, and the man began to speak to the other customers that approached the stall. Iduia and Kokuwamon mentioned down the street. "Please…follow…me…"

            She led them through the streets until they arrived at the central park. There was a convergence of more then one hundred Chosen and their partners assembled within the confines of the bright grass, and standing within the center were two young adults that Mimi and Michael instantly recognized.

            "Tatum!" Mimi gasped.

            "Sam!" Michael exclaimed.

            The young woman squinted her eyes to better see the two digimon standing behind them. "Archnemon and Mummymon? What the hell?"

            They were soon joined by Palmon X and Betamon X, who sneaked their way through the crowd. Palmon X had a blue and yellow flower hanging over top of her normal red flower which rested on top of her head, as well as medal hanging from her neck. Betamon X contained two small fins on the side of the large fin, as well as sharp horns over his eyes and on his four legs.

            "Hey guys," Michael whispered, "What's up?"

            His partner sighed. "Well, according to the rumor, Tatum and Sam joined Digitalatri, and their leader, Chihi Miayag, gave them the power to evolve their partners past the Adult level, even with BD-2.."

            "But…why?" Mimi asked, "Why did they…?"

            "I guess they were desperate," Palmon X answered, "They wanted a cure for the BD-2."

            "They…were…cured?" Iduia asked, raising an eyebrow.

            The small plant creature hesitated, "Um…I…I really don't know…."

            Mimi gasped. "Maria!"

            "What about her?" Michael asked.

            "She was with them! Is she here, or…or did they…k-k-kill her?"

            "Let's not think about that," her husband answer, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Not until we know for sure."

            "Shh!" Palmon said, "They're about to talk."

            Tatum raised her hand and the chattering slowly drew to a stop. "My fellow Chosen!" she shouted, "I have come to you with a message from the Digital God, and his holy prophet, the Priestess Miayag! She has ordained me as a priestess of the Digitalatri, so be assured that I only speak the truth!"

            She placed her hands behind her back and began to walk around the small clearing. "You have been hurt, haven't you? The Second Black Death is killing us, why? We have given so much to this world, and it turns against us! Why? Why? The simple answer, my friends, is that we have fallen from the true path."

            She stopped walking and faced them. "At the creation of this world, there were two opposing forces, one of good and one of evil. They battled for eons until the one of good remains. That is the Supreme One, the God of the Digital World! He only asked that we followed him, but our ancestors, the First Chosen, were defeated by their enemies, and their teachings were lost forever. Until now that is. The God of the Digital World has punished us for our abandonment of him, but he has sent the holy Miayag to bring us back on the true path! Follow the God of the Digital World, and you will never be sick again! Whoever wishes to be saved, follow us!"

            The crowd began to converge on them, and Sam was scanning over their heads when he spied Mimi and Michael in the rear. He did not reveal that he saw them, only walked over to Tatum and whispered in her ear. She mentioned to another Chosen, a young man with a Skull Satanmon as a partner. "Chosen, you have taken the first step towards salvation! Follow Vicente, follow his Skull Satanmon, they will bring you to salvation!"

            At the rear of the crowd, Mimi and Michael began to converse. "She doesn't seem so bad," Mimi said, "Maybe…maybe this is a good thing."

            "I don't know," Michael said, "Religion isn't something you can accept just like that. Did she really have time to think about it, or was she so desperate that she just grabbed the first thing that came along?"

            "What…should…we…do?" Iduia asked through her mechanized voice box.

            "Maybe we should follow them?" Betamon X suggested.

            "I think that's a good idea," Palmon X added.

            Michael glanced at the crowd, then back at the others. "All right, but we've got to blend in perfectly."

            The others nodded, and they were about to merge into the group of people, but they stopped short when they noticed that Tatum, Sam, and their partners of Archnemon and Mummymon were standing in front of them.

            "Ahh!" Mimi shrieked in surprise..

            Tatum smirked. "You're still the over-actor you always were, huh?"

            Mimi gasped loudly. "What the hell was that for?" Michael demanded.

            "And then there's you," Sam said, "Still trying to act bigger then you are."

            "Stop…that…!" Iduia shouted as best she could.

            The faces of the two members of the Digitalatri soften. "Iduia, one of the Brazil Chosen,  it's good to see you again," Tatum said, "But what are you doing here?"

            "She's trying to make a living," Mimi answered.

            "I wasn't talking to you, bitch!" Tatum sneered.

            "What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped.

            "I'm finally free of your shadow, that's what!" she snapped back, "When Sam and I had the virus, and you and Michael were modified by the X-Antibody, all you did was look down on us! Acted like you were better! Well, _we're_ better now!"

            Michael tried to keep his true emotions hidden. "W…what about Maria? Is she with you too?"

            "Maria is a traitor," Sam answered, "She chose to side with Yagami."

            "Taichi?" Mimi blinked.

            "Yeah, that's right," Tatum answered, "She's with Yagami right now. I guess when she was in trouble, you just weren't good enough."

            "All right!" Michael shouted, "I've had enough of this!"

            "So have we!" Tatum shouted. She turned to Archnemon and nodded. The spider lumbered forward. Sam mentioned to his own partner, who stomped forward.

            "We don't want to fight you," Palmon X said.

            "You don't have a choice!" Archnemon laughed.

            Michael and Mimi reluctantly grabbed their digivices and evolved their partners to the adult level.

            "Palmon X evolve to Togemon X!" She resembled Togemon, except for a dark yellow poncho around her body and a sombrero on her head.

            "Betamon X evolve to Seadramon X!" He resembled a regular Seadramon, except he was a solid blue color except for a few red stripes on his back, and the two fins near his head were longer.

            The two X-digimon were about to attack, but before they could, Mummymon fired a blast of energy from his gun that struck both Togemon X and Seadramon X, throwing them over their partners head and smashing into one of the buildings surrounding the park.

            Mimi and Michael twisted around. "Are you okay?" Mimi shouted.

            Togemon X stood up and sneered. "I'm gonna kick his…his…" She trailed off as she stared over Mimi's head. The young woman spun, but she did not see Tatum, Sam or their partners. Instead, there were two humans, one dressed in green and one dressed in black, and two large, demonic-looking creatures standing in front of her.

Mimi and Michael stood defensively in front of Iduia while they and their partners stared down the two cloak-wearing humans and their demonic digimon partners. "Who are you? What do you want?" Michael asked.

            The one in black shrugged.. "Sorry, that would take just too long to answer."

            "What?" Mimi asked.

            The one in green turned to him. "Actually, Karetu and Shiokuo said that this really causes a reaction…" She reached up and gripped the edges of her hood. The one in black sighed deeply and did the same. They both pulled their cowls down, allowing the sunlight to illuminate their features. Mimi, Michael and their partners could only stare in shock. The one in green had the face of Miyako Inoe, but her hair was bright pink in color, and the one in black had the face of Ken Ichijoji, but his hair was lighter in color.

            "This is impossible!" Mimi screamed, "You….you're dead…you're dead! M…Miyako…I…I was there…" Tears began to well up in her eyes, "I watched you….I….I" Her tears began to slow to a stop, "…I think that hair looks really fam…!" Her tears dried as her eyes shot open, "That's my hair!"

            Michael turned to her. "What?"

            "That hair!" she gasped, "It's….it's exactly, I mean _exactly_ just like the way I use to wear it when I was fourteen! How can that be?"

            The one in green chuckled. "That's because I'm your dark side Mimi."

            "What?"

            Before the one in green answered, the one in black put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't think we're supposed to be telling them."

            She sighed. "Right, I forget. I wish I had a better memory like yours." She bowed and threw open her cloak to reveal that she was garbed in a royal pink dress with puffy sleeves and a long flowing skirt. "I am Amikyo, the Princess of the Demon Lords and this is my partner, Leviamon!"

            She mentioned to the one in black and he waved his hand. "Yeah yeah, I'm going." He took a deep breath, "My name is Enk, the Demon Watcher, and my partner is Belphamon." He mentioned to the curled-up ball behind him,

What's he doing?" Togemon X asked.

"He's just sleeping right now."

            Seadramon X raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, we want him to get his beauty sleep, right?"

            "What are you doing here?" Michael asked.

            Amikyo pointed past Mimi and Michael. "Her?"

            They spun around to glance at Iduia, who was standing nervously. "You…want…me?" her mechanized voice asked, "What…for…?"

            "You'll find out," she said, holding her digivice to the sky, "Ready?"

            Enk nodded, raising his own digivice, "Yeah, I'm ready."

            Two beams of light emerged from their digivice, each one the color of their cloaks, and smashed into the ground before them. It grew and twisted into two familiar dragon creatures.

            "Devidramon!" Togemon exclaimed.

            Enk yawned loudly and he lend back against the outside wall of the building. "Go and kill them…or whatever…."

The two Devidramons roared and one flew into the air while the other lumbered forward. Seadramon X shot into the air while Togemon X ran forward to engage the dragon. Devidramon threw his clawed hand forward, but Togemon X used her boxing gloved fists to punch the jab aside, then used the other hand to crack the dragon's long snout. Devidramon growled and slashed the giant cactus aside with his claws.

            Togemon stumbled backwards, but when Devidramon launched another attack with his claws, she was able to bash both of them aside, which left him open for her basic attack. "Needle Spray!"

            The dragon roared in pain as his chest was suddenly pierced by hundreds of small needles. Togemon X began to chuckle, but she did not see the dragon's tail sneak along the ground and wrapped around her leg.

            "Togemon!" Mimi shouted, "Your leg!"

            The giant cactus glanced down, but not fast enough as Devidramon flicked his tail, sending her crashing onto her back. The dragon began to twist around in place, crashing Togemon X into every building in the area.

            The cactus swung her arms around in mindless desperation and managed to grab hold of a thick metal pipe that was sticking up through the ground in one of the buildings. She felt Devidramon's tail began tighten but she held fast. The dragon twisted his body around, making his tail even tighter. Togemon X finally released her grip, and the recoil of the tail sent her flying towards the dragon's face. She grinned with delight as executed her Light Speed Jabbing attack, augmenting it with the speed of the tail's recoil and pounded Devidramon's head with all of her strength. His head ripped from it shoulders and his body vanished a moment later.

            Above their heads, Seadramon X and the second Devidramon continued to battle above their heads. Seadramon X launched at his opponent, a stream of ice emerging from his open mouth. Devidramon was instantly frozen in place and began to fall towards the ground. Seadramon X grinned and shot after him, ready for another attack.

            The ice shield suddenly shattered, freeing the dragon. He slashed forward with his claw, striking the serpent in the face. He twisted around the sky before straightening himself out.

            "Seadramon, you okay?" Michael shouted from the ground.

            "Yeah," he replied, "I'm not going to go down _that_ easily."

Michael smiled slightly as Seadramon X shot towards his enemy. He suddenly shot around in midair and used his tail to smack the dragon in his face. Devidramon quickly grabbed a hold of the serpent, which was exactly what he wanted. Now with a point to pivot, he twisted his long body around to behind the dragon and fired another Water Breath, freezing the dragon's back. Devidramon squeezed even tighter on Seadramon X's tail, but the serpent continued to spew out freezing water until the dragon's entire body was covered. He flicked his tail, shattering Devidramon's arms, which destroyed the rest of his body.

Seadramon X floated down to land beside Togemon X. Their human partners were staring at the two Demon Lords. Amikyo growled. "Damn it! They were destroyed!"

            "I didn't think it was gonna work," Enk yawned again.

            Amikyo frowned, then mentioned to her partner. "Let's just do it our way. Leviamon!"

            Her demon crocodile leapt into the air, a deep growl escaping from his lips, "Cauda!" Before either digimon could react, Leviamon's tail smacked into Togemon X and Seadramon X, reverting them to their Child forms.

            Mimi screamed while Michael shouted out his partner's name. They instinctively ran to their partner's side.  Leviamon landed between them, salvia dripping from his massive jaw. He lumbered towards Iduia, who was still standing firmly in place. Her Kokuwamon jumped in front of her.

            "No!" she shouted, "Stay…back…."

            "I'm not gonna lose you," Kokuwamon responded, "No matter what happens."

            "Kokuwamon…" she said, hugging her tightly.

            "Iduia!" Michael shouted, "Run away!"

            Leviamon lumbered forward, but Iduia held her ground. "I…will…not…run!"

            Suddenly, her body began to radiate a nova of gray light. Kokuwamon's floated into the air as he began to exhibit the same gray light. "Kokuwamon evolve to Guardromon!"

            "Kokuwamon evolved!" Palmon X gasped.

            "But, he shouldn't he able to!" Betamon exclaimed, "Not with BD-2!"

            Guardromon pointed his arms at Leviamon, but the demon chuckled. "You don't have a chance, don't make me destroy you."

            "I won't let you hurt my friends," he replied, "No matter what happens to me."

            "Well, you don't need to worry," Enk said, "We're not here to fight you."

            "What?" Mimi asked.

            "You heard him," Amikyo said, "We're done here." She turned to the others, "Let's go."

            Mimi and Michael slowly stared at one another. "You're joking, right?"

            The Demon Princess sighed. "I wish I had a sense of humor. No, we're leaving." She grinned and waved her hand, "See ya!" She and Leviamon vanished in a burst of green light, while Enk and the sleeping Belphamon disappeared in black light.

            "What the hell just happened?" Palmon X asked.

            "I don't have any idea…" Mimi trailed off. She blinked a few times and glanced around. "Wait, where's Tatum and Sam?"

            "Gone," Iduia responded, "They…left…after…the…battle…began…

I…would…have…gone…after…them…but…"

            Mimi smiled and placed her hands on the other woman's shoulders. "It's okay. I'm glad you're okay."

            "Yeah, me too," Michael said, "But what was that light?"

            She shook her head. "I…do…not…know…"

            Mimi sighed deeply and stared up at the sky. Michael placed his arm around her shoulder. "You're thinking about Tatum and Sam, right?"

            She nodded. "And I'm worried about Maria."

            "Hey, she's with Taichi, and I'm sure he's taking good care of her."

            "I'm sure too," she said, "I just wish she didn't have to run off by herself. So she had the Second Black Death, no one cared! I didn't care!"

            "Maybe because we were modified by the X-Antibody, she felt like she had to prove herself," Palmon X suggested.

            "But she didn't have to," the young woman sighed, "And…and I can't help but think that something bad is going to happen to her." She put her hands together, "Oh Taichi, Hikari, take care of her."

111

            In Nightsun, five hours until Digialatri attacks, Mina had completed her investigation and was now standing before the others with her notes and Catherine's drawings in front of her. "Well?" Taichi asked.

            "Yes," she said, "First, Catherine's drawings." She sighed, "After careful examination, I believe they are prophecies."

            "Prophecies?" Anna asked, "You mean, things that have yet to happen?"

            The Indian woman nodded. "Yes. This image has a city surrounded by ice and snow, I believe that is this city. Also, this one has a woman in a flowing cape carrying a staff, I believe this is the Prophetess Miayag."

            "A staff?" Taichi asked.

            She held up another image, this one of a city covered in fire. "I think this is the conquest of this city, and…and then there is this one." She hesitated, but showed them a drawing of eight human figures, lying in a wasteland, with seven figure standing over them, dressed in robes of varying colors. Each of the eight figures lying on the ground were covered by different lights: one of red, one of light blue, one of dark blue, one of brown, one of white, one of dark, one of gray and one of green.

            "Are those…those…those Demon Lord guys?" Sora asked.

            "But what about the ones on the ground?" Noriko asked, "They sort of look like the lights that came out of me and Catherine? See, I had that black light and Catherine had that white light."

            "And Anna had the dark blue," Yuri gasped.

            "And Lynna was light blue," Yamato added, "But what does it mean?"

            "I don't know," Mina said, "Maybe once the other…'lights' appear, we will have answers. But…"

            She pointed to another drawing, this one with two people with word coming out of their mouths. "And then there is this one, which I believe shows two 'messengers.' I think Catherine was the first messenger, which means another one will appear soon."

            "To tell us what?"

            "The rest of the prophecy, perhaps."

            Taichi nodded. "Okay. What about this city?"

            Mina smiled slightly. "Ah yes. This city. I have found many unique drawings and carvings within the homes and buildings, this one specifically, and I believe with some certainty that this is the City of Ceria."

             "Ceria?" Yuri asked.

            "You really think this is Ceria?" Sora asked.

            "What is Ceria?" Maria asked.

            "It goes like this," Taichi answered, "There were a group of Chosen that came before us, and after they defeated their enemy, they set up an empire, which was destroyed by the enemies, the Empire of Cer. Ceria was their capital city. The center island of the Digital World was the First Chosen's capital."

            "So…if this is Ceria, why does Miayag want it so badly?"

            "I don't know," Mina said, "But I feel that we must defend this city at all costs!" 

111

            Chihi Miayag, the leader of the Church of the Digital Light, the Digitalatri, stood atop one of the many snow-covered mountains littering the Northern Wastelands. Below her was the army of the Digitalatri, standing at attention, all varieties of digimon and their equally diverse partners. Due to the cold temperatures, there was a thick, ankle-length parka covering her dress, but her pink cape continued to flow behind her. She raised her arms and began to speak.

            "Hear me my Chosen! Hear me! Our hour is at hand! We have given Yuri Rutskoy enough time to vacate from that city. He has refused. They have forced my hand, we must take it by force! My fellow Chosen, we will be victorious!"

            Her army began to cheer. She turned to her right, where Hiroshi, Keiko, and their partners, Piedmon and Pinocchimon. She addressed the young man. "I give you command of this army, lead them to victory."

            He nodded. He turned towards the army and made a series of motions with his hands. Keiko stepped forward and shouted, "Company, march!"

            Tatum, Sam, and their partners, Archnemon and Mummymon, stood at the head of the army, and began to walk forward at Keiko's command. Miayag grinned at the sight. "My Digitalatri army is ready for its first campaign, and with it's might, the Digital World and its Chosen will fall before the Digital God, and may the false gods they worship watch over their souls!"

_Next chapter: The War to defend Nightsun comes next!_

Author's Note: The Yeren is basically a 'Bigfoot' that supposedly exists in China.


	7. The Book of War: Chapter 1

_My name is Jyou Kido and people call me a worry-wart.. I suppose, I kind of am. I've always been like that though. My father was like that, I guess when you're a surgeon, you kind of need to make sure things are exactly the way you want them. _

_            I got worse in the Digital World. The others always made fun of me, but when you're in a strange world, spending half your time running for your lives and the other half _fighting_ for your lives, you can't really afford to get sick from eating bad food, or suffer hypothermia because you fell into water. I was the cautious one, the overly cautious one I guess. I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay._

_            I guess that's what fueled my desire to get into medicine. It was more then just my father pushing me into it, yeah, okay, I always did have a bit of a weak spine, but I don't think I would have done it unless I really wanted to, and I wanted to help people. I guess that's why I thought I wasn't cut out to be a Chosen, I'd rather fix someone's problems before fighting and making them worse. _

_            Is that why Taichi didn't call me about the war he was fighting in Nightsun?  He wanted to keep me out of it? _I_ was the one that brought him into this whole thing. I suppose I should feel insulted, but not really. I had to hear about it from Yamato, about how Keeya, a Chosen from Africa displayed that same strange light that Catherine, Noriko and Lynna did. And then he told me that Anna displayed that same light when attacked by someone that looked like Koushiro._

_I was even more surprised to find that Hikari didn't even know anything, and that Taichi and Maria had left early yesterday. If they needed help, why didn't they call?_

_Digimon Apocalypse:_

_The Book of War:_

_Chapter 1_

            In a dark room, fourteen figures stood in a circle, staring at a strange red symbol on the brick floor. Seven of those figures were humans draped in cloaks of different colors, while the other seven were demonic creature of frightening might. The one in orange placed his hands together and began to chant, _"Ot eht krad eno, ew llac eeht!"_

            The others repeated in unison, "_"Ot eht krad eno, ew llac eeht!"_

            The one in orange continued. "_Nepo rouy laes evig ot su eht lous rehctac!"_

            "_Nepo rouy laes evig ot su eht lous rehctac!"_ the others shouted.

            The seal in the center began to glow a sinister dark red, firing a beam to the ceiling. This beam glowed for a few moments before vanishing, leaving a black pedestal in its place. Resting on the top of this pedestal was an odd shaped object, one made of crystal; a cross with equal arms intersecting at 90 degree angles. Attached to this at the center, was another crystal cross with arms of equal length. This created a circle with eight arms of equal length made of diamond-shaped crystals. The one in orange lifted the object. "The Soul Catcher!"

            The one in red waltzed over and draped her arms around his shoulder. "But it has no power within it."

            "Yes," the one in orange responded, twisting to face the others. He addressed the one in yellow, "Karetu, you have finished your mission?"

            "That's right," Takeru's 'double' smiled, "Lynna Jeffry of Water, Catherine Rupert of Light, Noriko Kawada of Darkness, and Keeya Genet of Forest gave off their special energy."

He glanced over at the young woman in green and the young man in black. "Amikyo and Enk?"

            The doppelganger of Ken only yawned, so the evil double of Miyako answered, "We've forced Iduia Ramiro of Metal to show her energy."

"Excellent work," the one in orange responded. He turned to the one in purple, "What about you, Shiokuro?"

            "Anna Danika of Wind has been awakened," Koushiro's clone answered.

             "But you left the other two!" the one in dark blue shouted.

            The one in orange held out his hand. "Easy, Seiduka."

            "It was his mission to get all three of them! Now our entire plan is in jeopardy!"

            "Nothing is in jeopardy," the one in red responded. She walked over and ran a finger along his chin, "Just chill out big guy. Guys with passion really turn me on, but you got to trust Lord Cahiti."

            "You're lecturing me about trust, Asro?!" he shouted, "I've stood by his side since the beginning, before even you!"

            "That is enough!" Cahiti, the one in orange, shouted, "Seiduka's loyalty is never in question, understand?"

            Asro, the one in red, nodded. "Yes."

            Cahiti gripped the mysterious Soul Catcher by a small cleft in the rear. "There is to be war in the City of Ceria, that which the modern Chosen call Nightsun?"

            "Yeah, that's right," Karetu answered.

            "Then that is where the descendents will converge. We'll complete the first stage, then the second stage can began!"

111

            Inside the city of Nightsun, deep within the arctic of the Digital World, Taichi sat in the main building, looking over a map of the immediate area. He heard the door open. "Yamato, did you call the others?"

            "Yeah, I left a message for Jyou and Hikari, and Mimi and Michael are on their way."

            He nodded. "Great."

            The blond man sat down in the chair opposite Taichi on the table. "There's something else."

            "What?"

            "Mimi and Michael were with a girl named Iduia, one of the Brazilian Chosen, when they were attacked by two more of those demon things…"

            "What?" Taichi gasped, "More?"

            He sighed as he nodded. "Yeah, these two looked like Mikayo and Ken, and that Iduia girl displayed the same energy, like Catherine, Noriko and Keeya."

            "And Anna," Taichi muttered, "All right, so they're obviously after them for that…weird energy."

            "All right, let's try to think this through," Yamato said, "Catherine and the others shouldn't be able evolve their partners while they're infected with BD-2."

            "But those demon guys are forcing them to…to generate some kind of energy that's making their partners evolve. Why? What the hell do they know that we don't?"

            "But you've noticed that they're Chosen that have died, right?" Yamato asked, "Karetu is Takeru, Shiokuro is Koushiro,  Amikyo is Miyako, and Enk is Ken."

            "But that's only four, which means there's three left," Taichi answered, "So who are they? And do you remember when they first appeared? They said, '…_the times in your life when you're at your lowest, the times when you're about to give up on everything you hold dear, the times when you're about to give in darkness and despair, the times that you eventually overcome and put behind you. But, do those times, those feelings, ever truly disappear, or do they just fester and grow into the nightmares that keep you awake at night_?' What the hell does that mean?"

            "Mimi said that Amikyo, Miyako's double, said she was Mimi's dark side."

            Taichi glanced at him. "What?"

            He nodded. "That's what she said. And have you noticed that every digimon that they summon is a digimon that we've killed?"

            "This is so confusing!" the brown-haired young man exclaimed, "Damn it, I wish Koushiro was here, he'd be able to figure this out."

            "Have you noticed something else?" Yamato asked.

            "What?" Taichi asked, running his hands through his thick mane.

            "All of the people the demon guys are attacking are both females, and have BD-2?"

            "Yeah, so what's your…." he trailed off and stared him straight in the face. "You think that…?"

            He shrugged. "Yeah, maybe? Maybe they have all the girls they need for whatever it is they're gonna do, or maybe they don't. I have no idea."

            Taichi leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Oh crap…."

111

            "Mr. Natsuka!"

            The young boy's back instantly turned to ice. He slowly glanced from the desk to the front of the classroom, where his teacher was staring at him, arms crossed. "Y…yes, Miss Yagami?"

            Hikari held out her hand, and the boy reluctantly gave her the small, palm-sized flatulence-noise maker he had been playing with. "I don't want to see you with this again, okay?"

            He nodded slowly. She walked up to her desk. She glanced at the clock resting on the wall. She counted down to herself until she heard the bell ring throughout the school. She knew that her students were waiting for her to dismiss them. She addressed them without turning around. "Okay, have a nice evening. And one more thing…!"

            She spun around, opened her mouth and pressed the 'burp' button on the flatulence-noise maker. The students laughed loudly and she shared in their humor. She waved her hand and they charged out of the room. She sat down on the edge of her desk and watched them trail out of the room. She was surprised when an older young man entered. "Jyou, hi."

            "Hey, Hikari," he said, "Uh, did you get a message from Yamato?"

            "I don't really check my messages during the school day. It sets a bad example for the students."

            He nodded. "Right. Um, well, he's far north in the Digital World, in a city called Nightsun, and he and Taichi want us there as soon as he can."

            "Oniichan?" she gasped, "Is he okay?"

            Jyou nodded. "So far. But it's at least a few hours from the nearest gate. According to the map he gave me. It's a good bet we're gonna end up getting lost…"

            The younger woman nodded. "Okay, I've just got to get Plotmon." She ran for her purse and her bags. "Hang on Taichi…"

111

            The city of Nightsun was surrounded by a wall of bricks five feet thick and 200 feet high. There contained near the top a platform of five feet wide where the 'archers' of the city could stand, to assault their enemies with a barrage of projectiles of all sorts. Standing in the center over the main archway was Taichi, Yuri, and their partners. They remained silent as they surveyed the mountain before them, and watched with equally silent horror as a dark shadow flowed through the trail and collected outside of the city.

            "Taichi?" Agumon X asked.

            "What?"

            The orange dinosaur stared at the Digitalatri Army as it continued to grow in size. "Do you think we have a chance?"

            He forced a smile. "Of course we do!"

            "Really?" Yuri asked.

            He shrugged. "Yeah, stranger things have happened…"

            Yuri's Kokuwamon X chuckled. "Funny…"

            Taichi glanced over his shoulder at the inner city. While a sufficient number of Chosen and their Coelamons, Gazimons, and Elecmon partners were manning the archery posts, a large number of Chosen and their partners of: Flymons, Sabirdramons, Tyrannomons and a few Mammons were waiting behind the city wall, along with Yamato and Garurumon X. His eyes drifted to the castle in the center.

            "They'll be fine," Yuri said.

            Taichi shook his head. "I shouldn't have brought them. What the hell was I thinking? Now Maria's in danger…not to mention Sora…" He rubbed his forehead, "I'm supposed to be _protecting_ Maria, and where do I bring her? Right into the heart of a war!" He sighed deeply, "And then there's Sora…"

            His partner looked up at him with an odd expression on his reptile face. "Taichi…?"

            "I know how you are feeling," Yuri added, "I worry about Anna as well. Since she was able to make Penmon evolve, she wanted to fight, but I do not know what that thing was that happened? Suppose it is bad?"

            "I know," Taichi said, "They hate being left behind like that, but what choice did we have?"

            Yuri tried to force a reassuring smile. He glanced back towards the field outside of the city, where the Digitalatri Army was now forming into ranks.

            Taichi turned to survey the enemy forces as well. The Chosen of the Digitalari Army had a variety of partners: Dokugumons, Golemons, Meramons, a few Gekomons and Monochromons. He spied four familiar figures standing near the front. "Tatum and Sam are here," he said.

            Agumon X jumped up and put his hands over the edge so he could see where Taichi was pointing. "And there's Archnemon and Mummymon."

            The messy-haired boy glanced further up the army and saw a sight that turned his spine to ice. "Oh shit, Hiroshi and Keiko are here!"

            "Who?" Kokuwamon X asked.

            "Traitors," he snarled, "But that's not the problem, their partners are Piedmon and Pinocchimon, Mega levels!" He punched the concrete of the wall, "Damn it!"

            "Where's Miayag?" Agumon X asked.

            "Who cares?" Taichi asked, "We've got enough to worry about without having her here."

            Standing within the center of the army, Hiroshi, Keiko and their partners stared up at the line of Chosen that were standing near the top of the wall. The slightly overweight woman gasped.

            "What's wrong?" Pinocchimon asked.

            "Taichi's here."

            "Taichi Yagami?" Piedmon asked.

            She nodded. "Yeah. What's he doing here?"

            "It doesn't matter," Pinocchimon replied, "We'll still beat him!"

            Hiroshi placed a hand on Keiko's shoulder. She placed a bull horn to her lips and began to shout. "Attention citizens of Nightsun! We are the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Church of the Digitalatri! We have sent you a warning to vacate! You refused; we're giving you a last chance to reconsider!"

            "Forget it!" Taichi shouted back, "You and the rest of you traitors can kiss my ass!"

            Keiko could feel Hiroshi's anger began to rise. She addressed the army this time. "Meramons, ready yourselves!"

            On the top of the wall surrounding Nightsun, Taichi shouted to his army, "Elecmons, Coelamons, prepare to attack on my command!"

            The Meramons in the Digitalatri army began to form fireballs in their hands, while the Elecmons in the Nightsun army began to charge up their electrical attack, the hairs on their back crackling with energy.

            They continued their attempts to intimidate the enemy force for a full ten minutes, which seemed to stretch on for hours. Finally, Keiko and Taichi both raised their arms and held them for another minute. Every soldier tensed in anticipation…waiting….

            Keiko's hand dropped first, and every Meramon in the Digitalatri army attacked, throwing a barrage of flaming fireballs at the soldiers of Nightsun. Taichi quickly ordered his soldiers into action, the Elecmons leaping into the air and firing a stream of electrical energy that struck the fireballs, causing them to explode in the air.

            "Continue to attack!" Keiko ordered.

            "Fire at will!" Taichi shouted.

            The sky was soon covered as fireballs and electrical beams danced across their heads. An Elcemon's attack struck a Meramon in the chest, throwing him onto the ground. He was in the process of throwing a fireball when he was hit, and his attack left his hand in an odd direction, striking the back of his own partner.

            "Watch your partners!" Keiko shouted, "Attack the enemy!"

            Yuri stared at Keiko. "Why is she the only one who's talking? I thought you said Hiroshi was the leader?"

            "I don't know," Taichi replied, "Maybe….maybe the BD-2 took away his voice box? But how would Keiko know exactly what he wanted say?"

            "Maybe it has something to do with that Dark Spore thing Oikawa put in them," Agumon X suggested.

            Taichi rubbed his chin. "Maybe. But maybe if we got rid of Keiko, would the whole army just fall apart?"

            "We've got something else to worry about right now!" Kokuwamon X shouted.

            They turned their attention back to the battlefield and saw to their horror that the Golemons were marching to the brick walls circulating the city. "Attack the Golemons!" Taichi shouted, "Attack them now!"

            The Elecmons did as they were told and began to fire at the massive digimon. Unfortunately, this left them wide open for the Meramons' attacks. Many Elecmons were deleted as the Golemons reached the brick walls. They each struck in unison, pounding the wall, sending a shockwave that brought half of the Elecmon forces off of the small platforms. Taichi, Yuri and their partners managed to remain only by grabbing onto the wall itself. He glanced at the outside of the wall and saw that the Golemons were going to attack again. He turned to the forces waiting inside the city. "Tyrannomons, Mammons! When the Golemons break through, attack at once. Sabirdramons, Flymon, when that happens, you take to the air and attack from above!"

The Golemons continued their assault against the wall, smashing and pounding until finally a large section of the stone wall collapsed, crushing hundreds of Chosen and digimon beneath the thousands of pounds of rock and dirt. A loud musical score was heard as the Gekomons trumpeted in triumph.

"Their defenses have been breached!" Keiko shouted, "Move forward!"

The Digitalatri Army marched through the massive hole in the wall to enter the inside of the city. The Chosen partners of Flymons and Sabirdramon leapt into the air as the Tyrannomons and Mammons charged forward, smashing into the invading forces of Golemons and Monochromons.

Taichi turned to Yuri. "Agumon and I are gonna help below."

            The Russian man nodded. "Kokuwamon and I will lead the air attack."

            "Sounds good to me," the Japanese man replied. Agumon X leapt off of the wall's platform. "Agumon X evolve to Greymon X!" Once his evolution was complete, the massive dinosaur smashed down on top of one of the Golemons, crushing him. Taichi jumped onto his partner's back.

            Yuri held his digivice as Kokuwamon X flew into the sky. "Kokuwamon X evolve to Kuwagamon X!"  He climbed onto his partner's back and called to the Chosen riding on their Flymons and Sabirdramons. "Attack!"

            Taichi gripped his partner tightly as Greymon X used his powerful legs to kick a Golemon in the chest, sending him onto his back. Taichi looked over his back. "Greymon, behind!"

            The dinosaur stiffened his tail and spun around as fast as he could, striking a Monochromon in the face. The grey dinosaur flipped onto his side, as Taichi's orange dinosaur began to hit him in the stomach repeatedly with his tail. He was too busy to notice a Golemon lumbering towards him. The stone-digimon raised his fist and was about to strike the dinosaur in the back, when the Golemon was suddenly thrown to his side by an explosion of blue energy.

            Taichi spun around and saw Garurumon X, with Yamato on his back, leap to the ground. "Better watch your back!" he shouted.

            Taichi forced a laugh. "Heh…heh.. you jack-ass…" he muttered.

            "What?"

            "Go and help Yuri!" he shouted.

            The blond man glanced over at the top of the main building, which was clearly visible over the cityscape, yet a full half a mile away from the outer edges of the city, where the forces of Nightsun and the soldiers of the Digitalatri were battling. "But…"

            "We've still got them trapped in this section!" Taichi shouted back, "But we're not gonna be able to hold them back if they keep pouring in!"

            He hesitated, but nodded. "All right. Garurumon, let's go!"

            The large wolf turned to charge through the massive hole in the brick wall,but his run slowed to a trot before completely stopping. Taichi glanced over his shoulder,"What are you doing?"

            "There's a bigger problem," Yamato answered.

            "What?" Greymon X asked, finally finishing his battle with the Monochromon and spinning around.

            "Them," Garurumon X growled, mentioning to the three Chosen and their partners standing within a clearing in the clash of forces, Tatum, Sam, and another young man they did not recognize, along with Archnemon, Mummymon and Skull Satamon.

            "Oh shit," Taichi swore, "Like we need this now."

            Tatum stepped forward. "I am Tatum Heany, and I have been ordained by the High Priestess Miayag, thus I hold authority here. Stand aside and let us enter this city!"

            "You're kidding, right?" Taichi laughed.

            "He's right," Yamato added, "They only way you're getting past us is to walk over our dead bodies!"

            "If that's what you want," she laughed. She raised her hand and dropped it. Mummymon fired a blast from his gun, striking Garurumon X, throwing him and Yamato to the right, while Skull Satamon shot forward, slamming his staff into Greymon X's snout, forcing him to move to the left in order to avoid falling to his side. This allowed Tatum and Archnemon free passage into the city, and they soon vanished into one of the streets.

            "No!" Yamato shouted, "Garurumon, we've got to go after her!"

            The large wolf was about to run after Tatum and the spider-digimon, but something suddenly grabbed his rear leg and pulled him backwards. He tripped over his own feet, but was able to straighten himself out before spinning around to stare at his opponent. "Sam…" he began.

            "Don't!" the African-American snapped, "Don't try to convert me to your side, you traitor!"

            "Traitor?" he gasped, "You're calling _me_ a traitor?!"

            Sam pointed his finger at him, rage overflowing in his words. "While the entire Chosen population is dying from the Second Black Death, you were modified by the X-Antibody! You were cured, and you turned your back on everyone else!"

            "What are you talking about?" he shouted, "Jyou and I were here almost everyday trying to save you!"

            "You X-Chosen became drunk with your own power! Well, we're not following you anymore! Lady Miayag is our savior, and she'll deliver us from this hell and give us the entire Digital World! If she wants this city, then I'm gonna give it to her! Mummymon!"

            The bandage-wrapped digimon whipped his gun around, firing a snake-like blast of energy. "Necrophobia!"

            Garurumon X was struck in the chin, the force of which threw him back only slightly. He remained on his feet, and charged forward, jaws ready to strike. Mummymon fired a stream of bandages that the wolf easily avoided, but that left him open for another blast from Mummymon's gun. This time he was hit hard enough to fling him to the right.

            Taichi ordered his partner to aid Yamato and Garurumon X. The dinosaur began to run over to his fellow X-digimon, but was stopped with Skull Satamon darted in front of him. Taichi twisted around and found the devil's human partner standing a safe distance. "I don't remember seeing you before."

            "_Hola,_ My name is Vicente Lobo, a Chosen from Mexico."

            "All right, fine, so why are you with Digitalatri?"

            "Because Miayag has saved me from the Second Black Death and has given me direction in my life, and Skull Satamon and I will be her loyal servants until death! Skull Satamon, attack!"

            The devil digimon shot forward, swinging his staff into the dinosaur's head, then shot below to jab the staff into his underside before shooting to the right and back to his partner's side. "What the hell?" Taichi gasped, "Is he a devil digimon or a freakin' gnat?"

            Skull Satamon continued to dart around the battlefield, never staying in a place for more then a few seconds. This was a disadvantage to the lumbering Greymon X, who, while packing plenty of power, was not as agile. He could not properly execute his power if he could not find his opponent.

            The devil darted beneath the dinosaur, dragging his staff along his underside. Once he had completely passed beneath him, Skull Satamon shot into the air, falling down, striking Greymon X in the side of the face once more. Taichi clenched to his partner's tightly to avoid being thrown to the ground.

            "Shit," he exclaimed, "If only you can evolve…."

111

            Tatum and Archnemon, meanwhile, had made their way to the center building of Nightsun. The battle was still contained near the hole in the giant brick wall, so the streets were deserted. The Digitalatri priestess and her spider partner easily navigated through the maze of buildings before reaching the main building, which resembled a large castle.

            "This is where that staff is?" Archnemon asked.

            "That's what Lady Miayag said," she responded. She glanced around, "I don't see any guards, let's go on in."

            They stepped towards the wooden door, only to have it blew open as Unimon, Kiwimon, Black Tailmon, Red Veggiemon, Patamon and Piyomon came charging out. "What the hell is this?" Tatum gasped.

            "Ambush, traitor!" Black Tailmon shouted, as she began a series of quick punches onto the spider-woman's face. Archnemon batted her aside, Red Veggiemon and Kiwimon fired projectiles from their mouths. Tatum dove to the side as her partner spewed out a series of silk strands, saving herself from the attack.

            Patamon flew to the right, firing his Air Shot, while Piyomon flew to the left and executed her Magical Fire. Both attack struck Archnemon, but to their horror, it had no effect. She threw open her arms, sending out a sharp wire that would have impaled the two flying digmon had they not shot out of the way.

            Unimon flew around behind the large spider, firing a blast of energy from his mouth. "Holy Shot!"

            Archnemon shifted around and exhaled a blast of acidic spray at the unicorn, bringing him to the ground.

            Tatum turned back to the castle building, where the Chosen women infected with BD-2 were standing on the steps: Sora was standing in the center, leaning forward on her crutches, Noriko was to her right with Maria resting on her back, Anna was to Sora's left, with Catherine and Keeya helping her down the stairs. "So, the heretics are here."

            "Tatum," Maria said, "Please listen to me…"

            "I will not listen to unbelievers." She pointed her finger at the Hispanic woman, "We gave you the chance to accept the Digital God, but you chose to reject that offer. You chose to follow the X-Chosen, you put your faith in false prophets like Yagami and Ishida, you chose to worship them instead! You and the rest of your unbelievers will all burn in the Dark Area of the Digital World! Stand aside and let us pass, or I will kill you now!"

            "We're not letting you get past us," Noriko replied.

            "But…" Maria protested, "I can't fight her…"

            "You have to," Sora stressed.

            "She's my friend!"

            The red-headed woman sighed. "I know, but she's chosen her side…"

            "And so have you," Tatum sneered, "And I will sacrifice all of you heathens to the Digital God."

            The Hispanic woman had tears in her eyes. "Oh Tatum…I'm sorry…Patamon, attack with the others!"

            The Priestess of the Digitalatri was about to order Archnemon to attack, when a bright purple light struck the ground between the solider and the 'pagans.' Two figures appeared within that light, two that Sora and Piyomon recognized.

            "Koushiro!" the redhead gasped.

            "No it's not," Piyomon remined her, "He's not Koushiro…"

            The figure smirked wickedly. "In case you forgot, I'm Shiokuru, and my partner, Barbamon."

            "Who?" Tatum demanded.

            "Get out of here," he said, "I don't have time for you right now."

            "You dare order me?!" she shouted, "Archnemon…"

            Shiokuru waved his hand, and Barabmon fired a blast of powerful energy at Archnemon, throwing her into Tatum, and the two of them crashed into one of the adjacent buildings. "Now that she's out of the way, we can get down to business."

            The young women stared on in horror. Anna gripped the front of her walking stick. "Is that Shiokuru?"

            "Yeah," Sora replied.

            "This one looks like Koushiro?" Catherine asked, "The one that attacked us looked like Takeru."

"Karetu," Shiokuru clarified.

            Noriko tensed. "So, you gonna send a monster after us like your friend?"

"Not this time," he replied, "Our orders are to use whatever force is necessary to complete our mission."

            "What mission?" Keeya asked.

            "I'm not telling you anything," he spat, "Figure it yourselves!"

            "He's so much different then Koushiro we used to know," Noriko commented.

            "I know," Sora responded, "_Our_ Koushiro would have gladly told us anything that we wanted, this evil version doesn't want to say anything, he's greedy…"

            "You're closer then you realize," he smirked, "But enough with the small talk! Barbamon…."

            Before he could finish his command, Black Tailmon charged forward, slashing her claws across the elder digimon's face. Unimon attacked next, firing his Holy Shot attack that struck Barbamon on the shoulder, dissipating harmlessly. The other digimon would have attacked, but they stood in silent horror. If two Adult-level digimon could not even cause him to flinch, what hope would the other Child-level digimon have?

            "Giving up so soon?" Barbamon laughed. He threw open his arms, expelling a blast of energy that sent the digimon flying into a whirlwind of force. Patamon, Piyomon and Unimon were able to stay airborne, but the other digimon fell heavily to the ground. Barbamon began to attack each one: he struck Red Veggiemon with his staff, he spun around, punching Black Tailmon in the face, and pounded both of his feet into Kiwimon. The adult-digimon instantly regressed to their child forms.

            The partners called out to them, but Barbamon turned his attention to the three hovering digimon. He fired a blast of energy to them, but they scattered. The demon digimon shot into the air and punched Unimon with such force that the unicorn regressed to Penmon before crashing into the ground.

            "That was easy!" Barbamon laughed, "Why didn't we just do this before?" He turned to Patamon and Piyomon, "And now it's your turn."

            Both digimon attacked desperately, but to no avail. Both attacks had no affect at all. Down below, Noriko turned her attention away from her fallen partner to glance up at the two digimon hovering in the air, then at Sora and Maria. Realization dawned on her. "He's after them…"

"What?" the Latino woman gasped.

Noriko turned to Sora, but continued to glance at Maria on her back. "The two of you, you're gonna feel some kind of energy or light or whatever. When you feel it, look at your partners and just pour it at them!"

"Wait, you mean the same thing as Anna?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Noriko said, "Just do it."

            The three young women turned back to the sky. Both Patamon and Piyomon were struggling to keep their fear in check as Barbamon hovered closer. He did not speak as he slowly raised his staff; Piyomon and Patamon braced themselves for the attack, but Barbamon swung his other hand around, firing a blast of energy so intense that the Chosen's digimon smashed into the ground, their data of their bodies beginning to flicker and pull apart.

            "No!" Maria screamed, "Patamon!"

            "Piyomon!" Sora shouted. She struggled to walk forward, but was held back by Keeya and Catherine. As Noriko predicted, their bodies began to glow with a similar light that the others displayed, Maria's a deep brown and Sora's an orange red. The energy was strange and overpowering, but they were still able to remember what Noriko was told them. Maria forced her light into Patamon, while Sora forced hers in Piyomon. The bodies of their partners absorbed the energy, and their data stabilized a moment later.

            "They didn't evolve!" Noriko gasped, "Why not?"

            "Maybe because they were on the verge of death?" Keeya asked, "I think they still posses the power to evolve, but because they are still too weak as of right now?"

            "That's a good idea," Catherine said, "But I do not zink it will matter soon…"

            Barbamon landed behind Shiokuru as the latter turned his attention to the young women. He opened his mouth to speak, but a deep, sinister voice cut it off.

            "Shiokuru! That was not necessary!"

            The self-proclaimed Demon Vizor flinched as he slowly brought his attention to the roof of one of the buildings. There stood a figure draped in an orange hood and cloak. Behind him was a child-like angel with a pleasant smile on his face. "Lord Cahiti…"

            "Leave, I will handle this now."

            Shiokuru turned to the young women and shrugged. "Well, you're in trouble now, the boss is gonna take over. Later." He and Barbamon vanished in a burst of purple light.

            The young women stared up at the figure. He laughed, "We'll start in a moment, _Daughters_," he said with a sinister grin, "Once the others arrive…"

To be continued….


	8. The Book of War: Chapter 2

_My name is Sora Takenouchi and when I first decided I wanted to be a fashion designer, everyone was shocked to say the least. I couldn't really understand why. I didn't think it was that big a deal. I mean, I used to help my mother design the bouquets we sold at the flower shop. I thought it would be a great idea, and I never regretted it. I loved designing clothes. College life was certainly...educating, heh…_

_            Of course, college came with disappointing changes too. Like Taichi cutting me off from his life. Hikari tried to hide it by sending me e-mails that she wrote but sent it from _his_ account. And suddenly, he came back into my life again, out of the blue. I wasn't sure how to feel about it, but that, coupled with my recent…infection, almost proved too much for me to bear._

_            It felt like my entire life came to a stop when I heard I had BD-2. Within only a few days, I lost my entire left foot, up to my shin. I was forced to crutches. But, Taichi was right there to help me. He even brought me to Nightsun, which I knew he wasn't happy with, but once we got here, we got involved in a war. Digitalatri wanted control of that city, but we were determined not to let that happened._

_ And then, during a battle with Shiokuru, the creature that looks like Koushiro, Maria and I began to display that same strange energy that Catherine, Anna, Noriko, and the others did. It was almost surreal…_

_I want to know what's going on. What is that strange energy coming out of me and the others? What are those Demon Lords? I want to know!_

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of War:_

_Chapter II_

            The city of Nightsun was under siege. The forces of the Digitalari had been commanded by their leader, the High Priestess Chihi Miayag, to conquer the city, which they claimed to be the ancient Ceria, the capital city of the empire that destroyed the First Chosen. Taichi and Yamato joined Yuri in defense of the city, but they were separated during the attack. Taichi and Yamato were forced to fight two of the high-ranking members of the Digitalatri army: Sam and Mummymon and Vicente and Skull Satamon.

            Yamato clung tightly to his partner's back as he leapt at Mummymon, jaws wide open. The Digitalatri soldier fired a stream of bandages that ensnared the wolf's feet. He grinned wickedly and yanked his arm as hard as he could, throwing Garurumon X to the ground. Yamato was thrown from his back and tumbled along the ground before crashing into one of the buildings. He climbed to his feet and wobbled forward as far as he could, staring as his Mummymon used his bandages to swing Garurumon X repeatedly into the ground.

            Mummymon grinned as he began to use Garurumon X like a overgrown yo-yo. He threw him into the air as hard as he could before pulling on the bandages as hard as he could, pulling him back to the ground before he punched him again and repeated the process. 

"Garurumon!" he shouted. His body was shaking as he struggled to think of a solution, when a strange creature suddenly appeared in front of him, a demonic monkey creature with large, bat-like wings. Mummymon instantly stopped his assault, and both digimon and Chosen looked on in awe.

            "What the hell?" Sam asked, "Who are you?"

            The creature pointed his palm at Mummymon and Sam, firing a stream of intense flame into the mummy digimon, destroying the bandages that held him to Garurumon X. Another blast of the attack sent Sam and Mummymon crashing into one of the buildings.       

            Greymon X's battle with Skull Satamon was not proceeding any better. The devil digimon was simply too fast from the bulky dinosaur. Greymon X wanted to attack with his fire blast, but without a clear line of shot, he could injure a soldier fighting on his side. He had no choice but to hope that Skull Satamon would become too sure of himself and stand still for a limited amount of time. He only needed a few seconds, but he knew he was not going to get it.

            Taichi whispered into Greymon X's ear. "I've got an idea…"

            "Go, Skull Satamon," Vicente said, "Complete our mission for Lady Miayag, destroy him now!"

            The devil nodded. "As you wish, Vicente." He charged at the dinosaur, staff brimming with energy. He leapt in the air to fire at Greymon X, but the large dinosaur did not attempt to move, so Skull Satamon aimed for his face. However, at the last second he flattened his back and Taichi slid to the ground, but the devil's attack still fired, this time shooting harmlessly over his back. Greymon X charged forward, beneath Skull Satamon and swatted him with his tail.

            "Yes!" Taichi shouted, "Now…"

            Before he could finish, Skull Satamon retaliated by firing another Nail Bone attack at the dinosaur's back. Greymon X roared in pain and fell onto his stomach.

            "Damn it!" the X-Chosen swore.

            Skull Satamon hovered above the fallen dinosaur and readied his staff for another energy blast. However, a mist of darkness suddenly overcame him, trapping him inside."What the hell?"

            Vicente was about to call out to him, when the devil suddenly began to scream in pain. His entire body shook violently before he fell to the ground, landing on top of his partner. Both Vicente and Skull Satamon were knocked into unconsciousness.

            Taichi blinked a few times, unsure of what had just happened. He glanced around and saw a dark figure hovering in the air. It looked like a human woman dressed in a black bodysuit and purple robes, with tatter bat wings on her back. He turned to Yamato, only to find that he was staring up at a demonic monkey creature. "Who are you?" he shouted.

            The woman only grinned seductively and lowered herself to the ground along with the monkey creature. Taichi and Yamato followed them down to where they landed behind two more figures dressed in capes and cowls: one in blue and one in red.

            "Two more," Yamato said, "But why did you save us?"

            The two figures in capes turned to each other, then glanced back at the two X-Chosen. They reached up and removed their hoods, revealing their faces to the world. The one in blue did not surprise Taichi and Yamato. They were suspecting him to be someone that had died, and their suspicions were correct. The man in blue had the face of Daisuke Motomiya, but his curly hair was now dirty blond in color.

            It was the young woman in red that caused Taichi and Yamato surprise. They knew that only two of the mysterious group were females, and after discovering that the one in green was Miyako Inoe, they were trying to think of whom the one in red could be. They were ready for any of the other female chosen that had been killed, but not the face they now saw, the face of Sora Takenouchi, only her red hair was longer and flowed around her sholders.

            Taichi shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I'm getting really confused now. There's no way you can be Sora, because I just left her in Nightsun's main building."

            The Sora-doppelganger just shrugged.

            Yamato pointed to the Daisuke-doppelganger, then at the Sora one. "So how come everyone else is people that have died, but Sora is still alive?"

            The Sora-double just smiled seductively before she, Daisuke-double and their digimon partners darted deeper into the city. Taichi and Yamato ran after them, followed by their own partners.

111

            Yuri, meanwhile, had been coordinating the defense of the city. The Chosen partners with Flymons and Sabirdramons were battling fiercely against the ground-based Monochromons and Golemons. The Monochromons were easy targets as none of their attacks had long-range capabilities, but the Golemons could not only throw large rocks at them, but their height made it easy for them to swing their arms at them. A Sabirdramon fired a darker version of Birdramon's Meteor Wing attack at a Monochromon, while a Flymon shot down to strike a Golemon in the back. The large digimon swung his arms around, smacking the insect digimon into the Sabirdramon, bringing both of them into the ground.

            Yuri and Kuwagamon X dodged through a large web of fire and energy. The Russian Chosen was trying to organize his soldiers when his partner was suddenly struck in the underside, sending him into a tailspin before smashing into the snow-covered ground.

            Yuri leapt onto his feet, swinging his feet around. He tried to locate his opponent within the maelstrom of chaos. When he did discover who had brought him to the ground, his heart sank. Standing before him was Keiko, formally of the Ex-Dark Seed Children of the Odabia Chosen, along with her Pinocchimon partner, who was just lowering his mallet.

            Yuri swore in Russian, but stood his ground, despite the power he felt coming from the young woman in front of him. "You're Yuri, right?"

            "_Da_," he said, "And you're Keiko, one of the ones that turned her back on Taichi, right? Why do you want this city so badly?"

            "Lady Miayag wants it, that's good enough for me."

            "You're just blindly obeying orders?" he asked.

            "She has given me purpose in my life," Keiko responded, "I trust her, and if she wants this city, I will give it to her! And defeating you will put us one step forward."

            "What do we do?" Kuwagamon X asked Yuri in Russian.

            "Try to survive as long as possible," he responded back, "Until reinforcements arrive."

            Kuwagamon X nodded slowly. Even as an X-digimon, he was stronger then a regular digimon of his level, there was not a chance that he could defeat a mega digimon on his own. Pinocchimon raised his mallet and stepped forward when his face suddenly became covered with a sticky, inky substance.

            Yuri and Kuwagamon X blinked a few times, comprehending what had happened. He glanced around the chaotic battlefield, but none of the digimon present could have execute such an attack.

            "Over here, Mate!"

            He twisted fully around and saw an octopus-digimon slithering, along with a young man and woman trudging through the snow. "You're Yuri, right?" the man asked.

            He nodded slowly. "Nice ta meet ya, the name's Dingo."

            "Yuri," Kuwagamon X said, "That's an X-digimon!"

            "That's right," Gesomon X responded, "Yamato sent for us."

            The Russian man smiled. "That's good." He mentioned over to Keiko and Pinocchimon, "I think we're going to need help right now."

            The young woman spoke up. "Where's Jyou and Yamato?"

            "In the city, I think."

            "Then get with the others," Dingo ordered.

            "But…"

            "Lynna, do it!"

            The young woman hesitated a moment, then nodded. She and her Gizamon partner charged back through the snow.

Gesomon X slithered over to join Kuwagamon X. They stared at Pinocchimon, who was only grinning maliciously. "You don't stand a chance you know," he chuckled, "I'm gonna clean your clock!"

"You think we got a chance?" Gesomon X asked.

"No," Kuwagamon said, "But maybe with our deaths others can survive."

            The squid chuckled. "I think I'm gonna like hangin' with you."      

111

            When Taichi and Yamato arrived in the center of the city, they were horrified to find that Sora, Maria and the other young women were holding their digimon partners in their arms, each one barely conscious. The two doppelgangers they had been chasing had joined the last cloak wearer on the roof of one of the buildings.

            "Sora, Maria," Taichi said, running over to them, "Are you okay?"

            The redhead nodded. "Yeah, but Taichi, what happened to Anna, that…that strange light! It…it came out of me and Maria! It was…was the strangest thing I ever felt! I mean, it was like winning a tennis match! It was…"

            "Uh, Sora," Maria said, mentioning to the building, "I think you want to see this…"

            Sora glanced to the trio of mysterious figures. She saw that the one in blue looked like Daisuke, but her eyes bulged at the one in red. "You…you look like me!" she shouted, "How…how can…?"

            The one in orange laughed and removed his own hood. This caused another loud gasp of surprise from the group. The one in orange, the leader of the others, was an exact duplicate of Taichi Yagami.

            "What the hell is going on here?" Taichi exclaimed.

            His double smiled proudly and bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Cahiti, the Demon King. My partner, Lucemon…"

            The child-like angel floated behind him and bowed regally.

            The Sora double was next. "My name is Asro, the Demon Queen. You've already seen my partner, Lilithmon."

            The demon woman who defeated Vicente and Skull Satamon nodded slightly from behind Sora.

            The Daisuke-doppelganger crossed his arms in an annoyed fashion. "My name is Seiduka, the Demon General and Demon is my partner!"

            The monkey digimon growled and threw his arms up in a rage-like yell.

            Cahiti smiled broadly, "and along with the Demon Princess Amikyo, the Demon Watcher, Enk, the Demon Vizer, Shiokuru and the Demon Hunter, Karetu, we are the Demon Lords! The darkness within the Chosen's hearts!"

            "I don't get this!" Taichi shouted, "Every other Demon Lord is someone that died, how come Sora and me…?"

            "But you were dead, weren't you, Taichi?" he asked.

            "What are you talking about?!"

            "Ask Yamato."

            Taichi blinked for a moment, then glanced at the blond young man. "What's he talking about?"

            He hesitated for a moment. "Uh..ah…eh…um…" He shook his head and stared at the Demon Lords. "What are you doing here?"

            "And what's with that strange energy me and the others have?" Noriko demanded.

            "We could tell you now," Asro said, placing her hand around Cahiti's shoulders, "But I think we should let them figure it out on their own, right?"

            "It doesn't fuckin' matter to me!" Seiduka growled, "I'd like to tear them all apart!"

            "Not just yet," Cahiti said, "Even though we could easily tear the flesh from their bones, let's give them another playmate." He raised his arm, which began to shimmer with orange light. He threw the ball into the base of one of the buildings, where it grew into a circle so massive that the adjacent building slid into the orange hole. The Chosen watched in frightful anticipation as a pair of long, skinny black arms appeared from the swirling hole. They were soon followed by another pair of arms, this one a mismatch pair, as one arm was a skinny, skeleton one, and the other was red and pincer shaped. The four arms positioned themselves on the sides of the circle and pushed against the ground, pulling the rest of its body out of the circle and into the city of Nightsun: a body that contained a pair of hairy canine legs, an orange dinosaur body, an armored helmet over its head, two pair of wings, one red and tattered, the other white and feathery.

            "Chimeramon!" the Chosen shouted.

            "Prove yourselves once more, X-Chosen," Cahiti said. He turned to this summoned beast, "Go Chimeramon, destroy them!"

            The chimera digimon hovered into the air and roared with anger and power. He exhaled a blast of hot energy into the ground. While it did not strike any of the Chosen or their partners, the force of the shockwave sent them flying in all directions. Only Greymon X and Garurumon X were strong enough to remain on their feet. They instantly leapt in front of the young women, but they noticed to their horror that Maria was far on the other side of the clearing of buildings.

            The Latino girl clutched Patamon tightly as she stared up at the massive Chimeramon. He glanced down at her, his massive jaw opening wide, saliva dripping from his teeth. Maria was about to scream when she suddenly felt someone's arms grip beneath her arm pits and yanked her into the air. She twisted around and saw a familiar young woman smiling down at her.

            "Mimi!" she screamed, wrapping her arms tightly around her, "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

            "I'm glad you're okay too!" she cried, returning the hug. Maria glanced over her shoulder and saw the back of Michael's head. She now knew what had happened. Seconds before Chimeramon would have attacked, Seadramon X swooped down and Mimi grabbed Maria and her Patamon, hoisting them to safety.

            On the ground, Chimeramon had focused Togemon X, who was marching towards him. The large cactus fired her razor-sharp needles at the synthetic digimon's face. She was focusing on the creature's face, that she did not notice the Skullgreymon arm swinging around. She only saw a blur of white as a feline creature shot past her, leapt into the air and struck the bone arm with enough force to send it back. She pivoted gracefully in the sky and landed on the back of a dolphin-creature as it shot past.

            Taichi blinked. "Tailmon? Tylomon? That means…." He twisted around until he saw the two X-Chosen running towards him. "Jyou! Hikari!"

            "Taichi!" his younger sister shouted, lightly punching him in the chest, "Don't _ever_ do that again! You know how worried I was about you?!"

            "Watch out!" Greymon X shouted. Chimeramon was heading straight for them. The large dinosaur was preparing himself to fight back the monster digimon, when a stream of black ink splattered across his face. This was followed by an ice blast from Seadramon X, which froze the ink to Chimeramon's face, casing the massive digimon to stumble in near darkness.

            Seadramon X swooped by the group, dropping his passengers, before joining the other digimon as the encircled Chimeramon. A girl draped in a wool coat with a Gizamon came charging towards them. "Yamato! Jyou!"

            The blond man blinked for a moment. "Oh, hey, Lynna! What are you doing here?"

            "I felt this weird…feelin', and we came here…" she panted, "And….And Dingo…he's…he's helpin' Yuri…"

            "We've got someone here too," Mimi said, mentioning to an older woman standing behind her, "This is Iduia. She displayed that same light that the rest of you did."

            She bowed and spoke via her mechanized voice box. "It…is…a…pleasure…to…meet …you…"

            Above them, the three Demon Lords watched with anticipation. "They're finally all together."

            "Yes," Cahiti said, removing the mysterious Soul Catcher device, "Now we just wait, it shouldn't be long now…" He waved his hand at Chimeramon. The frozen ice on his face shattered instantly. The synthetic digimon roared loud enough to shake the buildings.

            "All right," Taichi said, stepping forward, "We've got to take care of this guy, and fast! Yuri's not gonna last for much longer."

            Anna whimpered in worry, but Sora squeezed her hand reassuringly. "He'll be okay, just watch."

            "I hope so," she sighed.

            Chimeramon floated forward and the X-digimon began to attack. Seadramon X led the attack, firing his ice attack at Chimeramon's face once again, but the synthetic digimon continued to dodge out of the way. He threw his two sets of arms at the serpent, but Seadramon X was able to roll and twist out of the arms grip. With every chance he got, he fired his ice blast, hopefully injuring the creature.

            Togemon X and Garurumon X charged along the bottom, striving to keep up with the massive digimon. The cactus fired bursts of her Needle Spray at Chimeramon's Garurumon Legs, while Garurumon X propelled himself into the air and landed on the synthetic digimon's back.  Chimeramon finally was able to grab Seadramon X by his tail and swung him around, knocking in the large wolf from his back and once he released the serpent, he smashed into one of the buildings.

            Greymon X stomped forward, a deep growl escaping from his mouth. "Mega Blast!" he shouted, firing his flame ball at the massive digimon. It struck his foot and he turned to him with a growl.

            Tailmon X began to jump to the building roofs by jumping from window to window until she was standing on the building ledge. She waited until Chimeramon was in range, then leapt onto his back. She executed a Cat Punch on the top of his head, and using the momentum to back flip onto the back of Tylomon X as he shot past. But they did not get far as Chimeramon's Skullgreymon arm whipped around and punched them into the ground.

            "Tailmon, Tylomon!" Greymon X shouted. He fired another Mega Flame, which did strike Chimeramon in the stomach, but the synthetic digimon whipped his arms around, slamming him with all of his might, throwing the dinosaur into the ground.

            The X-Chosen stared with fear and anxiousness. Behind them, the young women infected with BD-2 stared in even more fear and anxiousness. They wanted to help their friends, but they knew that if Adult digimon were having difficulty, then what hope would Child-levels have?

            "They need help," Keeya said.

            "But how?" Lynna asked, "What are we gonna do?"

            "If only we could evolve our partners," Catherine said, "But zey're all hurt from zeir fight with Shiokuru…"

            "Wait a second!" Noriko gasped, "What if we gave Yamato and the others our powers?"

            "What?" Lynna gasped.

            "We used that power to evolve our partners, why can't we evolve the others?"

            "But how?" Sora asked, "We need to find that energy again…"

            "We've got to try," Noriko said, "Besides, can't you feel like? I can. It's like…" She mentioned to her chest, "Like its right there. It's not as deep as you think…"

            "All right," the red head nodded, "Let's try." She glanced over to Maria. "Try as hard as you can, okay?"

            "I will," she nodded.

            Noriko squeezed Anna's shoulders. "Okay?"

            The blind woman nodded. "_Da._"

            "Do you need help finding them?"

            She shook her head. "_Nyet._ I can feel their prescience."

            "All right, girls," Noriko said, "Find your energy, and let it out."

            Above their heads, the three Demon Lords watched with anticipation. Cahiti eagerly rubbed the Soul Catcher. "Soon…soon…"

            Each young woman gripped their palms and began to focus the strange power they now felt within their being. Sora tried to focus as well, but a strong doubt kept nagging in the back of her mind. Something was wrong, but Taichi and the others needed her, so she tried to bring up the strange feeling, but she could not. She knew something was wrong.

"Um, listen…" she started, but it was already too late. Only Catherine heard her and ceased her energy generation. The other young women had already begun to display their multicolored light. They had generated so much energy that it exploded from their arms, zeroing in on the X-Chosen in front of them, striking them in the back. Maria's brown light hit Taichi, Noriko's black light hit Yamato, Anna's dark blue light hit Hikari, Iduia's gray light hit Michael, Keeya's green light hit Mimi, and Lynna's light blue light hit Jyou. Each one of the X-Chosen screamed out in pain and collapsed to the ground. Their backs showed no sign of injury, yet they all twisted and writhed in extreme pain.

            "Oh no!" Maria screamed, "Taichi!"

            "Oh shit," Noriko swore, "Shit…shit…shit!"

            The young women ran to the fallen X-Chosen, all except for Sora and Catherine. They alone had noticed that each of the energy beams that the other women had fired had mysteriously split into twain, one half striking the X-Chosen, while the other half shot into the air. The two women followed their path and clearly saw the multicolored light strike the mysterious crystal object on Cahiti's hand. Six of the crystals soon glowed with the same rainbow of light, one crystal for each light.

            "Yes!" Cahiti shouted in triumph, "Yes, the energy is mine! The power to control the basic physicality of the Digital World is mine! There is nothing that I cannot do! I am omnipotent! I am….I…." He trailed off as he noticed that only two of the crystals were glowing. "No!"

            He turned his attention to Sora and Catherine. "No, Fire and Light haven't discharged! No!"

            "Sora, what's he talking about?" Catherine asked.

            "I don't know," the red head said, shaking her head, "It's something about that energy…"

            Cahiti pointed to the two women, "Get them! Now!"

            "Oh shit," Sora exclaimed, "Run!"

            They turned around, but stopped short when they saw Demon and Seiduke standing before them. Before they even had a chance to react, Demon grabbed Sora and the unconscious Piyomon, while Seiduke grabbed Catherine and Floramon.

            "Let's get out of here!" Cahiti ordered.

            Seiduke and Demon floated into the air, where they were joined by the other Demon Lords. Despite his pain, Taichi was able to lift his head. "S…S…So…ora!" he shouted.

            "Taichi!" she cried, holding her hand out, "Taichi!"

            "Sora!" he screamed, his head hitting the ground, "S...o...r…a…" His eyes closed and his vision was overcome by darkness.

To be continued….


	9. The Book of War: Chapter 3

Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews, as I said before, it's greatly appreciated.

_            My name is Mimi Barton and I still remember the first time I saw Palmon… weeellll…technically she was Tanemon the first time I saw her, and that was back when I was still Mimi Tachikawa.  Anyway, she pretty much freaked me out, and I didn't want to have anything to do with her. That was until Kuwagamon attack, and she became my best friend in a matter of five seconds. We were through a lot together, and when my family moved to New York, I just wanted her with me so I could hold her tight and let her tell me that everything would be okay. _

_            That was until my first day at school, and I met the man of my dreams. Michael Barton…Oh, I don't know how many nights I sat up, saying his name over and over again in my dreams. He was everything I could have ever asked for. Together, we built up the New York team from a group of arguing teens to one that rivaled Taichi and Daisuke's team back in Odabia. I thought of all of them like my little brothers and sisters. And when Lou, Steve, Sam, Tatum and Mari were infected with BD-2, part of my heart broke, and when Lou and Steve died, my heart cracked a little more, and when Sam and Tatum joined Digitalatri, my heart completely shattered. I couldn't believe it. I know that they kind of resented me and Michael since we were modified by the X-Antibody, but I never thought they would completely turn their backs on us. Oh thank God Maria didn't._

_            We did meet another Chosen from Brazil named Iduia. She suffered one of the worse cases of BD-2 anyone had seen. That damn virus ate away her voice box, messed with her lungs and almost destroyed her kidneys. Yet, she still had a smile on her face. While me and Michael were with her, she started showing that weird light energy that those other girls did. Iduia insisted we go to Nightsun to help Taichi defend the city, so we did._

_            When we got there, we got into a fight with three of the Demon Lords, these looked like Taichi, Sora and Daisuke. They summoned Chimeramon to attack us. Our X-digimon fought as hard as they could, but Maria and the others thought if they gave us their energy powers, we would have a chance. But something went wrong. The Demon Lords stole half of the energy, and the other half proved too strong for us and we collapsed in pain. My entire body felt like it wanted to explode….._

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of War:_

_Chapter 3:_

            Taichi somberly walked up the brick steps, his eyes already beginning to water. He forced the tears back and continued up the stairs. Behind him was Hikari, holding his hand tightly. Taichi was dressed in his only black suit, while Hikari was wearing a dress in a dark blue, and odd choice for the usually bright young woman.

            They passed through the white, elegantly designed doors and stepped into a dimly lit hall, decorated with a plush carpet, a large couch and matching curtains. They saw Yamato and Jyou standing at the only door in the room. They said nothing; Taichi only bowed, but Hikari embraced both of them.

            The two siblings continued on their path, stepping past them and entering into the larger room. There were rows and rows of chairs stretching from end to end. At the front of the room was a beautifully polished box covered with flowers. Hikari squeezed his hand even tighter as they approached the box, and saw the body of Sora Takenouchi.

            Hikari began to cry and turned to run out of the room. Taichi wanted to run after her, but could only stare at the body in the coffin. He felt the tears began to fill in his eyes, and this time he did not pull them back, but let them flow free.

            "Sora…I…can't believe that you're gone too…Takeru, Miyako, Iori, Ken, Daisuke, Koushiro, and now…" He collapsed onto the casket, "Sora, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. Sora, I'm sorry, I'm just so…so…."

111

            Back in the real world, Taichi's eyes flickered feverously beneath his eyelids. Maria noticed this instantly. "Taichi? Taichi!" She turned over her shoulder, "Noriko, he's doing something!"

            "They're all doing something Maria!" the Japanese woman shouted back as she examined Yamato, "Oh shit, I can't believe we did this!"

            "What about those other two?" Lynna asked.

            "Sora and Catherine," Maria clarified.

            "Whatever! Those demon guys took 'em!"

            "One problem at a time," Noriko said. She glanced over to the other fallen X-Chosen. They were all twitching and flinching as if they're bodies were in extreme pain, while Anna, Lynna, Maria and herself examined them. Iduia and Keeya were acting as lookout. The young women had managed to pull the X-Chosen back into one of the building of Nightsun, but the Digitalatri Army was still pushing closer into the city, and Chimeramon was still circling the immediate area, searching for them.

            Anna gently placed her hand on Hikari's face. She felt her shaking and quivering beneath her touch. "I am sorry," she said under breath, "Please forgive me…"

            "We did not know this was going to happen," her Penmon said, "We only tried to help…"

            "How much longer are they gonna be unconscious for?" Patamon asked.

            "I don't know," Maria said, "Oh, Taichi, wake up soon, pl…" She was cut off as a large, loud, deep roar blasted through the air, so deep and loud it shook the walls.

            Iduia and Keeya ran back into the room. "Chimeramon is getting closer," Keeya said.

            "We…need…to…move…them…" Iduia added via her mechanized voice box.

            "What?"  Noriko gasped, "It took us forever to get them in here!"

            "Shouldn't we jus' fight?" Lynna asked.

            "We're still too weak from fighting Shiokuru and Barbamon," Keeya's Mushmon replied, sadly.

            "I didn't fight!" Lynna's Gizamon protested.

            "Neither did I," added Iduia's Kokuwamon.

            "I don't think it's a good idea," Noriko said, shaking her head, "You'd get yourselves killed."

            "But…" the Australian young woman started, but Noriko still shook her head.

            "I can't let you, sorry."

            "So…we…just…wait…to…get…killed…?" Iduia asked.

            The black-haired young woman went back to gently shaking Yamato. "You've got to wake up…please…"

111

            The siege against Nightsun continued. The army of the Digitalatri had pressed through the front line, destroying a large section of the protective wall surrounding the city. This resulted in a massive hole being formed that allowed the soldiers free access. They were only stopped by the Chosen warriors of Nightsun. They had so far been able to keep the Meramons and Golemons at bay, but the invaders were gaining ground.

One of the Golemons broke through the line of Nightsun Chosen and charged through the streets, tearing and destroying as many buildings as he could. He lifted his army and prepared to smash into another building, when his mouth was pounded by a blast of electrical light. The massive digimon and his Chosen partner twisted their heads. A Chosen from the Nightsun army and his Elecmon partner ran to them from within the war zone.

            The Digitalatri Chosen laughed and nodded at his partner. The Golemon lumbered forward, ready to smash the smaller Child-level, when three more Elecmons appeared from behind another building and fired electrical blasts at Golemon's eyes. These Elecmons belonged to two girls and one boy. The first boy smiled slightly at them and the four Elecmons readied for another attack.

            The Golemon roared and ran forward, swinging his arms into one of the buildings, blowing apart a large section of the wall. The building instantly collapsed, crushing the three Chosen and their Elecmon partners.

            The Golemon's human partner grinned.

111

            Outside of the city, Dingo of Australia and his Gesomon X and Yuri of Russia and his Kuwagamon X were staring down one of the commanders of the Digitalari Army, Keiko Shingu formerly of the Odabia Chosen, and her newly evolved partner, Pinocchimon. Dingo and Yuri knew that with partners only at the Adult level, they would not last long against a Mega digimon.

            "Give it up now," Keiko said, "Before you get killed."

            Dingo glanced over at Yuri. "Whadda say?"

            The Russian man smiled slightly as he stared at Keiko and Pinocchimon. "As my Australian friend here might say, "Kiss my ass!"

            The Japanese woman shook her head. "I gave you a chance." She nodded at her partner, "Do it."

            Pinocchimon grinned and walked forward, gripping his mallet tightly. He chuckled. "I'm gonna enjoy this!"

            Gesomon X and Kuwagamon X nodded at each other. Each one knew they would not likely survive, but were determined to make Pinocchimon break a sweat trying to do it.

Kuwagamon X led the attack. He zoomed forward and went to kick the puppet digimon in the head, but he ducked at the last second, grabbing the insect by the same leg and threw him high into the air. Gesomon X expunged a spew of black ink, aiming for the puppet digimon's face. Pinocchimon swung his hammer as fast as he could, diminishing the ink into harmless particles.

            Kuwagamon X returned from the sky, diving at Pinocchimon as fast as he could. The puppet digimon glanced to the sky and gripped his mallet, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Before he arrived, however, Gesomon X whipped his tentacles around to attack the wooden digimon from behind. It was his plan to attack Pinocchimon from behind.

The puppet digimon suddenly dropped his mallet, twisted around and grabbed the squid's tentacle. Pinocchimon repositioned his feet and easily twisted the large digimon into the air, knocking Gesomon X into Kuwagamon X and threw them both into the snow.

"Get up!" Dingo shouted, "Don't embarrasses me!"

 Both digimon leapt back into action. decided to team up. Kuwagamon X hovered in the air for a second before shooting forward, once again heading for Pinocchimon at full speed. The puppet digimon grabbed his mallet and was ready to bat him aside, but at the last second, shot into the air. Pinocchimon twisted his head up in shock, but realized what had happened at the last second. He shot his head back down, but it was too late, Gesomon X's tentacles bashed him in the face.

"Oh yeah!" Dingo cheered, "Yes, yes!"

            Gesomon X slowly lowered his tentacles, and realized that he had not injured the puppet digimon at all.

            Pinocchimon glanced over at his partner. "All right, can I stop playing now?"

            Keiko nodded. "Yes."

            The puppet turned back to them and grinned maliciously. With a simply swipe of his hammer, he knocked Gesomon X skidding backwards. Kuwagamon X came flying at him from behind, but the puppet digimon ducked, causing the insect to shoot over head. Pinocchimon whacked his hammer into Kuwagamon X's back, sending him into tailspin where he crashed into Gesomon X. Pinocchimon finished his combo attack but leaping into the air and slamming his mallet onto both X-digimon as hard as he could. Gesomon X and Kuwagamon X glowed brightly for a moment before de-evolving to Ganimon X and Kokuwamon X.

            Dingo and Yuri ran over to the Child digimon, examining their wounds. They glanced up to see Pinocchimon and Keiko standing over them. "I gave you a choice," she said, "You didn't take it, now die!"

            Pinocchimon positioned his mallet and fired balls of energy from the underside. "Bullet Hammer!"

            The two Child X-digimon suddenly leapt up, hitting Pinnochimon in the face. He was thrown off balance, knocking him onto his back. His energy attack shot into the air before landing on his own soldiers. Yuri, Dingo and their partners quickly exited the battlefield.

            Pinnochimon was about to run after them when Keiko called out to him. "Let them go."

            "What?" he asked, spinning around in shock.

            Keiko crossed her arms and mentioned to the city. "They don't have anywhere to go."

            Pinnochimon examined the battle which was moving into the city itself. He grinned in triumph.

            Yuri was staring at the same sight. The Digitalatri Chosen and their partners, Golemon and Monochromons had succeeded in pushing through the last line of the Nightsun Chosen. Their defenses had failed. "It is over," he said.

            "What?" Dingo asked.

            "Nightsun has fallen."

            "You're givin' up?!"

            "Look, you can see it, they are pushing into the center of the city. We will never be able to force them out now."

            "Are you sure?" Kokuwamon X asked.

            Yuri nodded. "Call the retreat."

            Dingo nodded. "If that's what ya want." He and Ganimon X began to run to the Nightsun Chosen. "Retreat! Retreat!"

            Yuri watched as his soldiers began to reluctantly run from the battlefield. He turned to his own partner. "We have to go for Anna."

            The insect digimon hesitated. "Um, okay, but how?"

            He shrugged. "The back way, of course."

            Kokuwamon X nodded and grinned. "You got it." He evolved to Kuwagamon X once more. Yuri jumped onto his back and the giant insect hovered along the ground, shooting around what remained of the outside brick wall until they arrived at a smaller version of the main door on the other side. They passed through it and entered the back of the city.

111

            Deeper within the city, Chimeramon continued to circle the town square. He knew the young women and the injured Chosen had disappeared somewhere within one of the buildings. He did not remember those Chosen, except for the short-haired woman. She was the light child, he remembered her, she helped the other, the gold warrior destroy him. He would have his revenge.

            Inside the safe house, the young women were huddling around the still-unconscious X-Chosen. "Chimeramon is coming closer," Anna said, "I can hear him."

            "We can all hear him," Lynna said, "He's right over us!"

            "Lynna!" her Gizamon snapped.

            "Sorry," the Australian woman said, "I'm a little stressed right now."

            "We're all stressed," Keeya responded in a more calm voice, "But we cannot start attacking each other."

            "I wasn't attacking her!" Lynna protested.

            "Stop it!" Maria shouted. The other women were in shock, even her partner. Patamon had never heard her speak in such a manner before.

            "I'm sorry," she said.

            "No, I'm sorry," Lynna smiled. She walked over and put her hand on Anna's shoulder. "We're not fighting, right?"

            Anna nodded. "_Da_, we are friends."

            "Please don't treat me like a child," Maria responded, "I'm just worried about Taichi."

            The others nodded in silent agreement. Each one was staring at the X-Chosen that they had tried to empower. The result sent them into unconscious shock. Mimi, Michael, Hikari, Jyou, Yamato, Taichi and their digimon partners…each one was writhing in pain, their eyes shut in darkness. "They…will…be…okay…" Iduia said, "…they…have…to…be…"

            The entire building soon began to vibrate fiercely, throwing those women standing onto their backs. The building shook again as a large roar blasted through the city. They nervously glanced at each other. "He's here," Anna said.

            Noriko stared down at Yamato. She rose to her feet. "We have to keep him away from them. Come on Plotmon."

            "Wait!" Maria called.

            The Japanese woman turned around and saw the Latino girl crawling towards her. "I'm coming too…"

            Noriko smiled and helped the legless Chosen onto her back. When they turned back to the door, they were only slightly surprised to see the other young women and their partners standing before them. They walked forward in silence, and Keeya and Iduia pulled the large, oak doors open. Chimeramon was standing in the city square, glaring down at the exiting young women and their digimon partners with drooling fangs. They positioned themselves in a semi-circle around the doors of the building. Noriko stood in the middle with Maria still on her back. The Japanese girl bravely stared up at the synthetic digimon and defiantly spoke out, "You're not getting past us."

He glanced down at her and growled. The shockwaves forced them back slightly, but they stood their ground. "You're not going to scare us like that. We're not moving."

            The mix-and-matched digimon raised his four arms and was about to throw them down, no doubt striking a fatal blow, when bright light began to explode from within the building, showering the young women, their partners, and the sinister Chimeramon.

            The massive digimon ceased his attack. He and the young woman watched as the fallen Chosen slowly rose to their feet, each one glowing the same color as the light the young women had forced into them. Behind them, their Child-level partners rose to their feet as well, each one evolving to their Adult levels in a matter of seconds. The light intensified as their evolution continued.

            The brown light from Maria forced Greymon X to grow tattered blue wings from his shoulder blades, his brown horns became covered with metal, creating a helmet. The stream of metal continued down his chest before reaching his left arm, which formed into a robotic shape, the fingers long clawed shapes. "Greymon X evolve to Metalgreymon X!"

            The dark light from Noriko merged with Garurumon X, shooting him onto his back legs. His back cracked into an upright position, and the hairs on his back grew into shape, Stegosaurus-type fins growing down his back. His front paws twisted into human-shapes, and metal pants appeared on his legs. "Garurumon X evolve to WereGarurumon X!"

            The dark blue light from Anna twisted around Tailmon X, before striking her in the chest. She grew three times in size, her body changing into a lion-body type. Large, feathery wings sprouted from her back while a smaller pair appeared on the sides of her hind legs. A metal breastplate appeared over her chest, while metal shin guards appeared over her front legs, causing her Tailmon gloves to twist into long claws. An Egyptian-styled mask appeared over her face and blond hair, with sharp cat ears on her head. "Tailmon X evolve to Nefertimon X!"

            The light blue light from Lynna flowed around Tylomon X, encasing him within a cocoon of water. The chrysalis shattered a moment later as a multicolored shellfish creature leapt out, with blue pincers hanging over his front, a long red body, and sharp blades emerging from his shoulders. "Anomalocarimon X!"

            The green light from Keeya shot into Togemon X, causing her body to explode into thousands of pink flower petals. These same petals were pulled back together, forming a human shape with four green leaves in forty-five degree angles on her back. A stream of pink light started from the top of her head and flowed down her body to the tip of her feet, causing large rose petals to attach to her head in the shape of a hat, a sleeveless pink dress with a poofy skirt in the shape of flower petals, green, knee-high boots, and green arm gloves. "Togemon X evolve to Lillymon X!"

            The gray light from Iduia caused Seadramon X to change to a red color, his sharp horn turned to a scimitar shape as bolts of lightning flew from the tip. "Seadramon X evolve to Megaseadramon X!"

             "You're okay!" Maria exclaimed.

            "Yeah," Taichi grinned.

            "Sorry to make you worry," Hikari smiled apologetically.

            "Hey, it was our fault," Lynna said.

            "That was a pretty good idea though," Jyou nodded, "Just, next time, maybe we should test it out first."

            "Yeah, sorry," Noriko shrugged slightly.

            "Just stay back," Taichi said, stepping past her, "And let us handle this."  
            "Are you sure?" Maria's Patamon asked.

            "Hey, no worries," Michael smiled, "We've got more then enough power to deal with him."

            "He's right," Mimi said, "Thanks for the help."

            Yamato punched his open palm. "All right, let's show Chimeramon that no matter how many times he comes back, we'll beat him every time!"

            The young women stared with expressions of extreme shock as the Fully Evolved X-Digimon shot past them. Metalgreymon X head butted the synthetic digimon, grabbing two of his arms and running forward, throwing Chimeramon into a building across the street. The synthetic digimon flapped his wings, throwing Metalgreymon X onto his back before he flew into the air.

            Nefertimon X and Megaseadramon X shot around from behind, each one charging their attacks. The sphinx digimon fired two beams of red light from her headdress. "Curse of Queen!" The energy attack struck the digimon in the eyes, causing him to roar in pain. Megaseadramon X added to his injury by forcing the horn on the top of his head to turn into a sharp point before he rammed into Chimeramon's chest at full force. The synthetic digimon was about to grab him with his arms, but the serpent displayed an increase in speed and shot out of harm's way.

            Chimeramon began to swing his arms around in blind rage as he fell back to the ground, landing on his feet. Weregarurumon X darted between them with ease and executed a roundhouse kick in the synthetic digimon's ribcage. Lillymon X fluttered around like a butterfly, kicking and punching along his entire body. Anomalocarimon X skittered along the ground on his multiple legs. He used his giant pincers to claw the furry legs, almost drawing blood. The giant digimon flicked his legs and sent the sea creature skidding backwards.

            Jyou frowned. "How come my digimon's the only one that got hurt?"

            Once Chimeramon's vision returned, he saw the six Fully Evolved X-Digimon before him: Nefertimon X, Megaseadramon X and Lillymon X hovering in the air, while Metalgreymon X, Weregarurumon X and Anomalocarimon X were on the ground. The synthetic digimon began to flap his wings and fly into the air once more. He took a deep breath and expunged a giant blast of red energy. "Heat Viper!" The attack struck the ground, sending shockwaves strong enough to shatter glass throughout the city, but to Chimeramon's horror, the X-Digimon remained uninjured.

            "Let's finish this!" Metalgreymon X shouted. The others nodded in agreement. The cybernetic digimon pointed his metal arm at the flying digimon. "Trident Arm Version 9.9!" The claw portion shot forward, connected to the arm by a thick metal cable. The claw clasped around Chimeramon's tail. The dinosaur twisted his arm around, slamming the synthetic digimon into the ground with a mighty quake.

            He leapt back to his feet and was about to take to the air, when Anomalocarimon X twisted around in the air, scrapping the sharp blades on his tail across Chimeramon's face. "Tail Blade!"

            He batted him aside, but Weregarurumon X came around from the other side, swiping his claw in the air, sending waves of power blue energy slapping across Chimeramon's chest. "Kaiser Nail!'

            He skidded backwards, but instead of continuing his attack on the ground, he flew into the air. His advantage did not last long, as Nefertimon X and Megaseadramon X executed their Curse of the Queen and King Javelin attacks, throwing the synthetic digimon into a tailspin. Lillymon X appeared behind him. She placed both of her hands together, forming into a blossoming flower. "Flower Cannon!"

            After her attack hit, Chimeramon began to twist in the opposite direction. Weregarurumon X leapt into the air and kicked him as hard as he could, sending him flying towards the ground. "Metalgreymon, I'm sending you a present!"

            The dinosaur laughed. "And it's not even my birthday!" His metal chest plate swung open to reveal two giant missiles. He pointed them at the falling Chimeramon and fired. The missiles exploded into the synthetic digimon with a mighty explosion, deleting him in a matter of seconds.

            "Oh, kick ass!" Lynna exclaimed, "That was awesome!"

            "I'm so glad you're okay," Maria smiled.

            "We're fine," Taichi said, "But what happened to Sora and Catherine?"

            The other young women frowned and glanced to the ground. "I wasn't dreaming, was I?" he asked again, "They really took them?"

            "Yes," Noriko said, "Sorry."

            He shook his head. "Okay, we can't worry about that right now. We've got to help Yuri with Digitalatri." He smiled and glanced at Metalgreymon X. "Shouldn't be too hard now that we've got you, right?"

            "You got it buddy."

            They were about to run towards the battlefield, when they became aware of a loud flapping sound behind them. The digimon twirled around, ready to attack, but stopped just in time when they saw Kuwagamon X and Yuri flying towards them.

            "Yuri?" Taichi asked.

            Anna's ears perked. "Yuri?"

            Kuwagamon X stared at the X-Digimon. "You evolved?"

            "We'll explain later," Jyou said, "What's going on?"

            Yuri sighed deeply. "We have lost, I have called the retreat."

            "What?" Taichi gasped, "Yuri, you can't…"

            The Russian man only glanced away. "I had no choice." He clenched his fists in self-loathing rage, when Anna walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders.

            "It is okay," she said, "You did what you had to do."

            "She's right," Mimi said, "Your home is where ever you guys are, not these bricks and stones."

            Michael glanced at her. "Wow, that was pretty good."

            She smiled. "Hey, I'm not just a pretty face you know."

            Taichi took a deep breath. "All right. Yuri, let's…." He trailed off as he spied something down the street, or rather, someone. Their battle with Chimeramon had brought the Chosen and their partners four blocks from the main building of the city. Their current position had them behind one of the building, hidden from view. Taichi, however, could see without much hindrance a familiar messy-haired young woman waltz through the, as-yet, uninhabited streets.

            "Miayag," he sneered, "So she is here."

            "That's Hiroshi and Piedmon right behind her," Metalgreymon X whispered as best he could.

            "What are they doing?" Noriko asked.

            "They are going into the main building," Yuri asked, "But why just them? Why do they not have any soldiers with them?"

            "I'm gonna find out," Taichi said, "While the rest of you get to safety."

            "What?" Hikari gasped, "No, we'll come with you."

            He placed his hand on her shoulders. "What about Maria and the others? I want you to help bring them to safety."

            "But…"

            He flashed his trademark smile. "Hey, Metalgreymon's with me. I'll be fine."

            His younger sister fidgeted. "Taichi…."

            He sighed. "All right." He looked over at the blond-hared young man. "Yamato, wanna give me a hand?"

            "Uh, sure, why not?"

            Hikari smiled. "Thank you, Oniichan, I feel better now."

            "What about us?" Michael asked.

            "You've got to get them…" He mentioned to Noriko and the others, "Out of the city now."

            "Wait a second," Noriko protested, "Don't we get a say in this?"

            "No," he responded flatly, "You need to get out of the city before Digitalatri overruns it."

            Jyou lightly tapped his foot"All right. Go and find out whatever you want from Miayag, but I'm giving you half-an-hour. If you're not out by then, we're coming back you for, all right?"

            Taichi nodded. "All right."

            Jyou nodded, and Yuri began to lead the others through the streets to the back-door of the city. Taichi and Yamato glanced at one another, then ran towards the center building. When they arrived, Miayag, Hiroshi, and their partners had already entered. Thankfully, due to the massive halls, Metalgreymon was able to fit inside-it was a tight fit, but he was still able to traverse the halls.

            "Any idea where she's headed?" Weregarurumon X asked.

            "No," Taichi said, "But she's got to be in here somewhere."

111

            Miayag and Hiroshi had passed through the large double doors and traveled down the stairs to enter the bottom of Nightsun. The basement was, in fact, nothing more then a giant underground cavern. The walls were comprised of massive stones, and stalagmites and stalactites stretching towards them like stony fingers, otherwise, the floor was bare.

            Hiroshi and Piedmon glanced around. "What exactly are we searching for?" the clown digimon asked.

            Miayag glanced at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"

            "There's nothing here," he answered, "It's a dead end."

            "Are you blind?" Witchmon asked. She mentioned to one of the walls, where a large section of the rock had been carved out, "There's a door right there."

            Hiroshi and Piedmon glanced to where Miayag's digimon was pointing. It was a wall made of solid rock. "We don't see anything," Piedmon replied.

            "You're blind, right?" Witchmon laughed. She hovered on her broom over to the wall in question. She moved her hand through the opening in the rock, then floated through. She returned a moment later. "See?"

            To Hiroshi and Piedmon, however, it appeared that she had passed through solid rock. They glanced at one another in confusion, then walked over to the area where Witchmon had vanished into. They attempted to pass through, only to slam into the rock wall.

            "What is going on here?" Piedmon asked.

            Miayag nodded as she examined the wall. "Yes, I think I understand…"

            "What?" Witchmon asked.

            "A Firewall," she answered, "Those without the necessary qualifications can't pass…they can't even see it!"

            Piedmon crossed his arms. "So, what are the necessary qualifications?"

            "Judging by where we are and what I assume to be on the other side…only those with the blood of Yuushi may enter," she grinned maliciously, "It is a good thing that I am of the blood of Yuushi."

            She turned to him. "Stay here and guard the area. We will return as soon as possible."

111

            After searching most of the building, Taichi, Yamato and their partners were not able to find Miayag not Hiroshi in the upper levels, which only left the basement area. They would have moved down the stairs quietly, but Metalgreymon X was so massive that the stairs creaked and moaned as he walked down them anyway, that they decided to jump into battle.

            When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Yamato was surprised to see a large room with four walls made of thick stone. Hiroshi and Piedmon were standing in the center; an unemotional expression on the human, while the digimon smirked wickedly.

            "Oh shit," Yamato muttered.

            "Don't worry," Weregarurumon X said, "We can take him."

            "Wait a second," Piedmon said, "You evolved, didn't you?"

            "That's right, and we're gonna kick your ass!" Metalgreymon X boasted.

            "Don't kid yourselves," the clown digimon laughed, "Even at your current power levels, you still don't have a chance in hell."

            "Where's Miayag?" Yamato asked, "Is she upstairs?"

            Taichi glanced at him. "Uh, I don't know, but I'm gonna guess she went through the opening he's guarding."

            Yamato glanced at the wall. "What are you talking about? There's no opening."

            The bushy-haired young man blinked a few times before he glanced at the opening he clearly saw in the rock wall, then back at Yamato. "Uh, are you feeling okay?"

            "I'm feeling fine," he said, "Are _you_ feeling okay?"

            "I can see an opening," Metalgreymon X added.

            "I don't see anything," Weregarurumon X said.

            "What's going on here?" Taichi asked, eying Hiroshi and Piedmon.

            Hiroshi only shook his head.

            "Is that a 'no', or you're not gonna tell us?"

            "We are not going to tell you anything," Piedmon responded.

            "We're just gonna have to go around him," Taichi said, crossing his arms.

            Hiroshi glanced over his shoulder and nodded at his partner. Piedmon slowly walked forward, pulling the swords out of the holsters on his back. "I've been eager to test out my Mega-level powers," he said.

            Metalgreymon X and Weregarurumon X braced themselves for Piedmon's attack. The clown raised his swords arrogantly but before he could attack, Weregarurumon X leapt forward and planted his foot into the clown's face as hard as he could, throwing him to the floor.

            "Hurry up!" Yamato shouted, glancing at Yamato.

            "What?" Taichi gasped.

            "Go through that door or whatever," he replied, "We'll keep him busy!"

            Taichi and Metalgreymon X hesitated, but began to run towards the opening that only they could see. Piedmon rose back to his feet and was about to fling his sword at the large dinosaur, but Weregarurmon X shot around and struck his face with his sharp claws. Yamato and his partner watched as Taichi and Metalgreymon X walked through the stone wall and completely vanished.

            "Wow," Yamato said, "There's nothing there…"

            "It's a shame that there isn't," Piedmon said, rising to his feet, "Because now you're trapped here with me, and I am going to destroy you with my bare hands!"

            Weregarurumon X was about to attack, when Metalgreymon X's metal claw shot through the rock wall, grabbed Yamato and the large wolf via the massive elastic cable, and yanked them back through the solid rock wall. Piedmon and Hiroshi glanced at one another. Thinking that it was now only an illusion, they ran after Yamato and his partner, only to smack hard into the rock wall.

            On the other side of the mysterious rock wall, Taichi and Metalgreymon X stood unharmed, while Yamato was clearly injured, breathing heavily and unable to stand. Weregarurumon X glowed brightly and regressed to his Child form of Gabumon X.

            Taichi crossed his arms. "Only me and Metalgreymon could see a door in the rock wall. Hiroshi and Piedmon couldn't pass through. And now you and Weregarurumon were only able to enter after Metalgreymon forced you through. Weregarurumon de-evolved, and you're barely able to stand."

            "Y…yeah," Yamato coughed, "It…it feels like my entire body's on fire…"

            Taichi glanced down a long hall, which was covered by rock on all sides. "Can you walk?"

            He nodded and slowly rose to his feet. "I…I'll be okay…"

            "Are you sure?"

            He nodded again. "Yeah, I'm…I'm feeling better already…"

            The bushy-haired young man glanced at the wolf. "What about you?"

            "I'm fine," Gabumon X said, "Let's see where Miayag went."

            They began to walk through the hall in silence.

111

            Miayag had reached the end of the hall and entered another large rock room. It was much like the previous room, except for two major differences. First, there was a tunnel on the other side of the room leading deeper under the ground. And second, a large altar in the center, standing a full twelve feet, so tall that stairs were required to reach it. Resting on top was a square-shaped stone box, designed with strange and wonderful symbols, while on top were small stone carvings of the three great angels: Seraphimon, Ophanimon and Cherubimon. Standing before the box was a long metal staff designed on top with a metal sun. She grabbed the staff with eager interest and shoved it into the air.

            "The Staff of Yuushi! It is mine at last!"

            "Staff of Yuushi?" a male voice asked.

            Miayag and Witchmon spun around and saw Taichi, Yamato and their partners standing in the opening leading to the hall. The High Priestess of the Digitalatri slowly walked back down the stairs, holding the staff proudly before her. "My compliments on passing through the seal."

            Taichi raised his eyebrow. "You mean that rock/door thing? I was able to walk right through it."

            Miayag's eye shot open. "What?"

            He shrugged. "It was easy." He mentioned to Yamato, who was using his hand to prop himself up against the wall. "As for him, we just pulled him through."

            She nodded. "Yes, a simple solution from a simple mind."

            "Oh real mature," he rolled his eyes, "How old are you, five?"

            "I am 19," she answered, "And I hope you've enjoyed the age of 24, because you will not be getting any older." She pulled open the bottom part of her dress to reveal her shaven legs. Wrapped around the top of her left leg was an elastic band worn like a garter, where her digivice was attached. It was similar to the X-Antibody-modified digivice, which was a square, cellphone-like device, colored in dark pink. She removed the garter in a rhythmic, swaying manner and held the device tightly in her hand.

            "Ya know," Taichi commented, "If you weren't such a bitch, I might have been turned on by that."

            She sighed in annoyance. "Don't you ever shut up? In fact, don't answer, I am going to make you shut up." She pointed her digivice at her partner. "Witchmon!"

            Her partner flew into the air and began to glow with the light of evolution. "Witchmon evolve…" The red witch had transformed into a cat-girl, with leopard-colored harem pants, long claws, messy red hair, and two black tails, "…Bastemon!"

She licked her lips in sexual manner beneath her veil as she walked towards Metalgreymon X, swaying her hips back and forth. She ran a hand through her hair while she twisted her hips slightly. She forced her back to arch more prominently, jutting her breasts out and bringing her right leg slightly in front of her left. She winked and grinned suggestively.

She then placed her hands together in front of her, almost in a prayer. Metalgreymon X and Taichi stared in confusion. Bastemon was silent and still for a full minute before she began to twist her hips in a circular fashion. She walked forward, swinging her hips back and forth. She put her arms at her side and began to twist them in a wave motion. She took a step forward, still swinging and dancing.

She pivoted on her foot and began to move faster, as if the song she was dancing to had increased drastically in tempo. She darted around Metalgreymon X and Taichi, twirling and spinning, throwing her arms into the air. Taichi could feel his partner start to relax beside him. The human himself began to feel overly relaxed, almost to the point of falling asleep.

            "That's her power you know," Miayag chuckled, "Her 'Helter Skelter' attack will remove all of your fears, your worries, your desires…"

            Taichi struggled to stay awake. "Sounds like you two…have…have a lot in common…."

            The High Priestess only smirked. "I will miss your so-called 'wit.'" She lifted her digivice and slowly brought it towards the Staff of Yuushi. They two items began to glow brightly, but once the light faded, the staff and the digivice had merged together to create a slightly larger staff with the same sun symbol but a set of buttons down the side and the screen near the middle.

            She waved it around in the air. "Now, Bastemon, we have the ability to evolve once more!"

            Bastemon ceased her dance and leapt into the air, her body starting to glow with a bright gold light. "Bastemon evolve to…" The cat-girl began to change once more, this time to a humanoid fox woman dressed in blue armor, with long white hair flowing behind her and a staff appearing in her hands. "…Kuzuhamon!"

            Almost instantly, Taichi and Metalgreymon were free of Bastemon's spell, but before they could so much as blink, Kuzuhamon darted forward with amazing speed, slamming the pointed end of her heeled boots into the dinosaur's snout. She then twisted around, executing a perfect back-flip, placing her hands onto his eyes, flipping again to drive the same heels into his neck. He growled and threw his arm around to grab her, but by that time, she was already on the ground.

            He raised his metal arm and shot it down to strike her. She swung around and the dinosaur's arm smashed into the ground. The fox woman darted around to attack his backside, but he displayed a sudden surge of agility and managed to spin his entire body out of the way. Kuzuhamon slammed her staff into the ground. Metalgreymon X shot around and grabbed the fox women within his hands. She struggled violently and managed to twist her body to the side and she fell easily between his hands. She executed three back-flips and landed a good distance away.

            Taichi stared at the two digimon, then back at Miayag, who was watching triumphantly at the bottom of the altar stairs. She was so preoccupied with the battle, that she did not see Yamato slowly climbed onto the altar stairs from the side and make his way to the strange box at the top. Taichi knew that he would have to keep her attention for as long as possible.

            "Is that all you got?" he asked, "'Cause Metalgreymon's just about to kick it into high gear!"

            The dinosaur shot his partner a glance, but turned back to Kuzuhamon with confidence and courage in his eyes. "You'd better say your prayers, because I'm gonna send you to your Digital God. Trident Arm Version 9.9!"  The claw on his metal arm fired, heading for the fox woman.

            Kuzuhamon gripped her staff tightly. "Ura Izuna!" She began to rapidly spinning her staff in front of her, sending out four transparent black foxes into the propelling claw. The metal projectile wobbled for a moment, then impossibly reversed in direction, heading back towards Metalgreymon X.  The dinosaur was slammed in the eyes, causing him to stumble around in near-blindness.

            Kuzuhamon leapt into the air and slammed down on Metalgreymon X's head with all of her Mega-level strength, bouncing off of him and landing gracefully next to Miayag. The large dinosaur began to stumble around.

            "Metalgreymon…" Taichi said.

            "I am sorry for this humiliation," Miayag said, "I truly am, but I must not be stopped from my mission." She turned around and her calm exposure instantly changed upon see Yamato lifting the lid of the strange box.

            "No!" she screamed, "Get away from there you heathen!" She shot up the stairs as fast as she could, striking him in the chest with all of her might. He fell to the hard rock floor, and Taichi and Metalgreymon X ran over to him.

            Back on the top of the altar, Miayag opened the chest. Inside were three thick books that were covered in a leather material. "The Machina Codex…At last!" She put the lid back on the box and turned to face the X-Chosen, her rage radiating off of her body. She found them standing in the archway leading to the second tunnel.

            "Trying to escape?" she shouted, "You will pay for daring to touch the Machina Codex! I will rip out your hands myself!"

            "Now!" Taichi shouted.

            Metalgreymon once again fired his metal arm, this time striking the ceiling in the cavern room, causing a massive cave-in. Taichi, Yamato and their partners were safe, being in the second tunnel, while Miayag and her partner were trapped within the falling stones.

            Once the cave-in had ceased, Yamato turned to Taichi, shock on his face. "What the hell were you thinking? What if you made this ceiling…" He pointed to the ceiling of the tunnel they were standing in.

            Taichi shot him a glance. "And what about you? Climbing for that box right behind her! You didn't even know what was in it!...What was in it anyway?"

            Yamato mentioned to Gabumon X, who was holding something behind his back, which he now brought to the front. It was thick book covered in brown leather. "This was inside," Yamato explained, "While you guys were fighting, I grabbed it and dropped it to Gabumon X. I was going to grab the other book when she saw me."

            "Wait a second," Taichi said, "If you took that, then why did she seem like she had that in the chest?"

            "She obviously didn't know there were _two_ books in there."

            Taichi grinned. "All right, now we're talking."

            Gabumon X stared at the arch-way that once lead to the open room, which was now covered in rocks and dust. "Think they were crushed?"

            "We would be so lucky…" Metalgreymon X muttered.

            Taichi sighed and glanced down the tunnel before him, which stretched into the darkness. "Let's try to get out of here."

            "I just hope it leads somewhere," Yamato muttered.

111

            Hiroshi and Piedmon were desperately trying to find their way through the invisible firewall when their Priestess stumbled through, collapsing to the ground. She was covered in bruises and cut, and her clothes were torn and shredded. Witchmon was at her side, and had not fared much better.

            Hiroshi gently helped her to her feet. She lifted her head, her eyes turning red with rage. "I…will have my vengeance!"

111

            Taichi and Yamato had traveled a full two miles before arriving at the end of the tunnel. There was, hover, a small sliver of light streaming in through a small hole near the ceiling. They dug and tugged at the soil until they were able to climb onto the snow-covered surface of the Digital World's arctic. They had emerged on a small hill near the rear side of Nightsun. The Digitalatri forces were still entering through the massive hole on the other side of the stone wall. They decided to move from the city's perimeter as fast as they could, running another half a mile into the frozen wasteland. When they simply could not run any longer, they collapsed onto the ground.

            "Well, Jyou says everyone's safe," Yamato said, putting his cellphone into his pocket, "I told him where we are, they should be here soon."

            "Great," Taichi said, staring off into the sky. He sighed deeply.

            The blond man placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, we'll get them back, okay?"

            "I know, it's just…"

            "Don't worry too much about them."

            "I…I'm not really," he clarified, "I mean, Sora's one of the strongest women I know, it takes a lot to make her cry, and Catherine's so sure of herself I don't think she would even _realize_ she was being tortured unless they showed it to her through a mirror." He smiled slightly, "With the two of them there, those Demon Lords are sure in for trouble. I hope they have health insurance…"

            Yamato chuckled before he fell onto his back. "Man, I'm exhausted."

            "It's been a long day," Taichi commented. He slowly fell onto his back as well, staring up at the sky. An image of Sora appeared before her.

            "_Sora,_" he thought, _"Please be safe…"_

_Next: A council of Chosen is gathered to finally address the problem of the Second Black Death. They decided to classify every infected Chosen with a number to designate the progression of their illness. Miayag sees this as a further attack on the Chosen population. Protests fly out of control and one of the X-Chosen's family is targeted. Next: The Mark!_


	10. The Mark: Chapter 1

_My name is Michael Barton and sometimes I wonder about my place in this world, well, maybe not the _world_, but certainly the unique…organization I have become involved with. I met Mimi during junior high school and while I'd like to say I was instantly attracted to her, that wasn't the case. She couldn't speak English too well at first, but that didn't stop her from making friends. It was actually at a friend's party that we started talking, and about a week later I asked her out. Our parents and a lot of our friends said that we wouldn't last, but we proved them wrong when we actually got married a year ago._

_            Through her, I met the other Chosen in Japan. I always felt like an outsider around them. They had so much more experience then I did, but with Mimi, I was sort of expected to just…'be' one of them. And then we made our own team, localized in New York, I was made the leader, but what good was I? Steve and Lou still died from BD-2, and I wasn't able to keep Tatum and Sam from joining Digitalatri and I couldn't save Maria, Taichi did._

_            When Mimi and I went to Nightsun to help Taichi and Yamato, I really didn't know what to expect. We ended up getting into a battle with more Demon Lords, but at least we were able to evolve our X-digimon to the Fully Evolved stage, thanks to Maria, Noriko and the other girls. Taichi and Yamato even managed to steal a volume of the Machina Codex from Miayag. Unfortunately, she did get a mysterious staff she called, "The Staff of Yuushi," which she somehow was able to merge with her digivice. And then the Demon Lords captured Sora and Catherine._

--

_Digimon__ Apocalypse_

_The Mark:_

_Chapter 1_

--

            The massive room was strangely silent, despite the twenty humans of all genders and races seated within the semi-circle shaped room. At their side sat their digimon partners; like their human partners, a mixture of all types, levels and colors. Each Chosen was seated at a wooden desk/table that contained pitchers and glasses of water, paper, pencils and laptops. Each desk also contained the name of the human, their digimon, and the area of the Digital World they represented.

            At the front of the room, facing the other seventeen humans and their digimon, were three Chosen and their partners. Unlike the other desks, these were decorated more elegantly and appeared to be composed of metal instead of wood. The young man that sat in the center desk had a crew-cut of sharp blond hair and deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a black, three piece suit with spotless-shinned dress shoes. His partner was a Gaomon, a blue, dog-like digimon that walked on two feet.

            The young woman that sat to his left had her waist-length brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She was dressed in a tight-fitting black tank top which fully showcased her breasts and a blue skirt flowing over her crossed legs. At her feet were pink heeled, calf-high boots. Her partner was a Lalamon, a puffy-plant like digimon with a round body, green bottom half with her small arms and legs and pink top half with her face.

            This young woman rose to her feet and nodded slightly. She spoke in a southern American accent. "Okay, ya'all. I am Madelyne Osborn, the Special Representative, and I hereby call this meeting' ta order." She mentioned to the blond man. "Security General of the Chosen Council, Victor Von Schmidt presiding."

            The blond-man spoke in a thick German accent. "_Guten__ morgen._  Now, we have all been called here today to discuss the problem of the Digital World. I, of course, am referring to the Second Black Death, called 'BD-2.'" He mentioned to a drop-down monitor behind him, which displayed an map of the four major continents of the Digital World. A red color covered a small percentage of the Northern and Southern continents, a fair portion of the Western Continent, and nearly all of the Eastern Continent. Near the bottom right of the Eastern Continent was a black circle which was labeled as, 'Ylicis.'

            "As you can see," Schmidt continued, "The red represents the areas which contain Chosen infected with BD-2.  The city of Ylicis is where the epidemic began. If this continues, within a few years, the entire Digital World, along with every Chosen child, will be infected…"

            "What do you suggest?" a black woman dressed in African-style clothes asked. Her partner was a pink Tentomon.

            "I believe what must be done is segregation…"

            The room was suddenly filled with an uproar of protest. "Concentration Camps?" a young man with a Gizamon shouted.

            "Fences and wires?" another girl shouted.

            "Neo-Nazis!"

            "Dictators!"

            It took Osborn a full ten smashes of her gavel before the room was quiet once more. "Keep quiet!" she shouted, "Do not speak out like that again!" She mentioned at Osborn.

            "_Danke_," he said, "Now. I know this is not a favorable option, but we must think of the Chosen still healthy and those Chosen that are still appearing. We cannot allow them to become Chosens one day and then die from the Second Black Death the next. We must think of the future."

            "What about developing a cure?" a teenage boy in the back row asked. He had shaggy brown hair and an Agumon at his side.

            "There is no cure, Representative Makasuda," he responded, "Our only option is to move the BD-2 infected to segregated areas."

            "How?" a Russian girl asked, "Will they all be taken, or only those with the highest degree?"

            "I believe that only the most severe cases should be moved," he answered.

            "How will we know?"

            "Those Chosen infected must be given a number to designate the degree of their infection, as well as their origin team…."

            "Wait a second," Makasuda spoke up, "Why isn't there any representative from the Odabia team?"

            Schmidt only stared at him. "We do not need the meddling of the X-Chosen…"

            The other members of the council clapped in agreement. The Chosen Council leader raised his hand to stop the applause. "_Meine__ Freunde_ we must not become corrupt like the X-Chosen. We think of the safety of those Chosen still healthy, and those Chosen that will come after. My fellow Chosen, what will your decision be?"

            The council members all began to talk quietly amongst one another. They did so for more then an hour before Schmidt demanded a response. The final vote was 16-4 in favor.

The darkest day in the history of the Digital World was about to begin.

111

            _The young girl giggled happily to herself as she threw the door to her simple house wide open. She charged up the stairs, her sneakers pounding onto the wooden planks. Once she reached the top floor, she threw her yellow backpack to the floor and shed her green jacket. She had been carrying a piece of paper in her hand, a child's simple painting of a young girl and her mother. She displayed it proudly as she searched through the rooms on the top floor._

_            "Mommy!" she cried, "Mommy!"_

_            She eventually glanced into her mother's room. "Mommy! Look what I made…" she trailed off as she peered into the room and saw a sight that turned her blood to ice. Her mother was indeed in her room, lying on her bed, eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling, a pile of white pills scattered around the room._

_            The young girl stepped forward, and she suddenly aged ten years, the room instantly aged and decayed. Her mother was no longer lying on the bed, but collapsed on the floor. A white substance was gushing out of her mouth and blood trickled from her nose. The teenager fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes. "Mom! MOM!"_……

            Miayag shouted out as she was jarred awake. She sat up, panting heavily. "Damn it!" she swore, throwing her white sheets onto the floor.

            There was a knock on the door. "Lady Miayag?"

            "I'm fine!" she snapped.

            "Uh…okay, but Lady Miayag…"

            She groaned as she climbed out of her bed and tied a orange robe over her near-transparent blue nightgown. She opened the door and found Takashi standing in the hall. "What is it?"

            "There's something on the t.v. that you should see."

            She nodded. "I will be right there."

111

            Cahiti, the Demon King, grinned in pleasure as he stared up at the morning sky. The mysterious Soul Catcher was attached to his right arm. His partner, Lucemon, the Demon General, Seiduka, his Demon partner, the Demon Queen, Asro, and her partner, Lilithmon, all stood behind him loyally. The evil double of Taichi began to chuckle. "Amazing, even at only seventy-five percent of its full power, I can feel the energy pulsing within in, energy that I can use to remake this world."

            "Into a paradise where we will rule," his partner added in the voice of a young boy.

            "I still don't understand," Demon said.

            Lilithmon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Your head can't possibly be as thick as your hide…"

            Demon glared at her. "What was that?"

            She gave a sly smile. "You heard me."

            "Stop that," Asro said, eyeing her partner, "You should know better then to insult him, he doesn't understand humor."

            "Or much of anything else…"

            Seiduka snarled and turned to face them, but Lucemon forced them to stop. "Quiet!" he snapped, "Cahiti is about to give you a demonstration…"

            The Demon King mentioned to the desert landscape stretching out before them. It was a complete wasteland with a bright yellow sun high in the sky. He raised his right arm, and the Soul Catcher began to glow. "With the power stolen from the Daughters, I have control over the basic elements of the Digital World…Wind…"

            One of the crystals began to glow and a whirlwind appeared within the desert, throwing up a maelstrom of sand. Cahiti had to shout to be heard over the roar, "Earth…"

            The ground shook violently as large pillars of granite stone shot through the surface, effectively blocking the sand and wind.

            "Water…"

            Large geyser punctured through the ground, covering the sand, transforming it into a mixture of mud and muck.

            "Forest…"

            Almost impossibly, plants emerged through the mud, growing into thick, tall trees and lush, bright green ferns and shrubs.

            "Metal…"

            The trees began to stiffen and transform into pillars of metal and steel.

            "Darkness…"

            The sky was suddenly covered with shadows as a solar eclipse mysteriously occurred without any warning. The entire desert was plunged into blackness. Cahiti waved his hand once more and the desert returned to the wasteland it had once been.

            "Amazing…" Seiduka gasped.

            "Yes," the Demon King answered, "And that was only at three quarters power."

            Asro slowly rubbed her chin. "And how do we get those last two powers?"

            "Takenouchi and Rupert aren't pushovers you know," Lilithmon added.

            "We must break them," Cahiti answered, "Destroy their spirits of resistance. We are the gods of this world, and they must be made to understand that."

            The door to the mysterious temple that was nestled in the midst of the desert swung open and the Demon Princess Amikyo popped her head outside. "What do you want?" Seiduka snapped.

            She flinched back slightly. "I…I'm sorry, but there's something going on Shirokuru thought you'd want to watch…"

            Cahiti rubbed the Soul Catcher. "It better be important."

111

            Hikari pulled on a pink robe over her white pajamas as she exited her room. She was surprised to find a pleasant aroma flowing from the kitchen. She stepped inside and stared in awe and wonder as the kitchen table contained a large plate of eggs, sausage, toast and orange juice. She glanced over to the stove and saw Taichi placing a pan in the sink. He turned around and smiled. "Hikari, shouldn't you be at work?"

            "I took the day off," she explained, "I was pretty tired after yesterday." She mentioned to table, "What's this?"

            "I couldn't sleep," he explained, "So I got bored and thought I'd make breakfast."

            His sister nodded knowingly and hugged him. "I'm worried too, but we'll get them back. We will."

            Taichi took a deep breath. "I just feel like this is all my fault. If I was just able to…."

            "Taichi, you were unconscious."

He shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter.  I'll kick every Demon Lord's ass, and rescue Sora."

"Taichi," Hikari said, "you can't put everything on yourself all the time. You're part of a team again, remember? We're all in this together."

            He slowly nodded. "Yeah…yeah…"

            "Wow, what smells so good?"

            The siblings turned to the entrance to the kitchen and saw Maria seated within her wheelchair. The digimon were standing behind her. Hikari smiled and walked over to her. "Taichi made us breakfast."

            "Wow," the younger woman grinned, her mouth watering. "This looks like what my mom used to make all the time!" She griped her wheels and moved herself forward.

            "You're getting use to that chair, huh?" Taichi asked.

            She nodded. "Yes. I have to thank Jyou…" She reached for a plate, but stopped herself. "Oh, I…I should wait for you, I'm sorry."

            "How many times do we have to tell you this," Taichi said, "You're our guest, please, just enjoy yourself."

            She reluctantly agreed and began to eat. Hikari grabbed her cat-engraved mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Now Taichi, you remember that Mom's coming for a visit today, remember?"

            Her older brother slapped himself in the forehead. "Damn it. I just hope she doesn't want to see my school marks again."

            "Why?" Maria's Patamon asked, "You haven't been doing good?"

            "The opposite," Taichi responded, "I'm just get tired of her telling me how much I changed since high school…"

            It was then that their home phone began to ring. Hikari walked over and lifted it to her ear. "Hello? Oh, hi Yamato, what…" The color began to drain from her face.

            "Hikari?" Plotmon X asked.

            The young woman ran into her bedroom. Taichi and Maria glanced at one another, then the young man pushed her wheelchair after Hikari. Inside of her room, she was logging onto the internet and entering a web address known only to the Chosen, one of the web addresses connected to the Digital World.

            What appeared on the web page was a video monitor of a news conference concerning the Chosen. Taichi, Hikari, Maria and their partners remained silent as the live video feed began to activate.

111

            The main headquarters of the Chosen Council was an ancient marble building called the Curia Hostilia, which sat in the center of Form Magnum Island, which was close to the western shore of the Western Continent. The building contained offices and rooms for the twenty-two Chosen and digimon partners, the main debate room, three conference rooms, as well as a cafeteria, a lobby, and a few game rooms.

            Inside of the main conference room, the entire Chosen Council stood within the room, Schmidt was in the front, leaning forward on a podium. "Good morning, my fellow Chosen and digimon of the Digital World. As you have no doubt realized, the Second Black Death is raging out of control. Countless numbers of Chosen and digimon are being infected, which in turn infects countless others…."

111

            In the recently conquered city of Nightsun, the leaders of the Digitalatri were crammed into the television room of the main building, each one watching the news conference with heated interest.  "What's he getting at?" Keiko asked.

            "Something clearly dark and terrible," Miayag replied.

111

            In the Yagami apartment, Maria turned to her two hosts. "Who is that?"

            "Victor Von Schmidt," Taichi sneered with disgust, "The head of the Chosen Council, a bunch of spoiled, self-absorbed Chosen who think that they have the right to tell every other Chosen how to live!" He punched his open palm, "It makes me sick!"

            "I don't like how he's talking," Hikari said, shivering slightly, "It's making me…frightened."

111

            Schmidt continued speaking. "….the threat to this world is tremendous. We can't ignore this any longer, we must think of the continued safety of the Chosen not infected and the Chosen that will come after us. What world will we leave our children if we do not stop this pandemic now? I swear this to you, we will find a cure for this disease, and the first step is to isolate those cases. And so, will great regret, I must approve Chosen Council Executive Order #0045: the immediate classification of all infected Chosen; everyone will be effectively given a number to designate their location and degree of illness. This will be the first step before relocation. Again, it is with a very heavy heart that I am required to do this. All Chosen currently infected with BD-2, please report to your designated continent of the Digital World. We will begin with the Western Continent within five hours. Thank you."

111

            The main building of Nightsun was filled with the angry shouts and screams of the Digitalatri. Tatum and Sam were screaming in rage, Keiko was shouting out loud possible battle plans, while Hiroshi became so enraged that he destroyed the television set. The only one who had not yet spoken was Miayag herself. She finally spoke when she ordered her church members to silence their outbursts.

            "But what are we going to do?" Tatum demanded, "This is a clear violation of basic rights! We can't let this happen!"

            "We won't," she finally said, "We will meet them on every continent if need be. We will fight them every step of the way! We will free the Digital World from their corrupt hands!"

111

            The Demon Lords were having a decidedly different attitude towards Schmidt's press conference.

            "A most interesting turn of events, isn't it?" Asro asked.

            "Yes, it is," Cahiti said, lightly rubbing his chin, "I wouldn't have thought any Chosen would have done something like this. I am actually impressed. Perhaps we can use this to our advantage…"

111

            Inside the Yagami's apartment, Hikari was chasing her brother down the hall. "But Taichi…"

            "I'm not gonna let them do this!" he shouted back as he ran into his room.

            "But Taichi…" Hikari protested.

Her older brother ran out of his room a moment later, still dressed in the blue t-shirt he had worn to bed, but was now wearing jeans instead of sweat pants. He also had his X-modified digivice.

"Taichi…" Hikari said, "Taichi!"

"Agumon!" Taichi shouted, glancing over his shoulder, "Agumon!"

            "What?" Agumon X asked, walking out of Hikari's bedroom.

Hikari was silent as her brother spoke to his partner. "We're going to the Digital World."

"Wh…what are you gonna do?" Hikari asked.

            "I don't know," he answered, "But I have to stop them."

            "Y…you can't take them all on!" Plotmon X gasped.

            "It's wrong what they're doing, I can't just sit back and do nothing…"

"You'll get yourself killed!"

            "I can't worry about that," he replied, walking back into Hikari's room to use her computer to open a Digital Gate. His sister grabbed his left arm from behind and pulled as hard as she could.

            "Oniichan!" she screamed, pulling so hard they almost fell backwards. Taichi kept his footing, but Hikari slid onto her knees. "Oniichan, please! Please!"

            Taichi stopped, and Maria and the digimon watched with wide eyes. "Please!" Hikari sobbed, "We'll get everyone together. We'll think of a plan or something. Please, Taichi, please…"

            He sighed deeply. "All right."

            Hikari smiled with relief. Taichi helped her to her feet and she cleaned her eyes. "It'll be better this way," she added, "With Yamato, and Jyou…and maybe Mimi and Michael will help…"

            "I'm sure they will," Maria spoke up.

            "See?" she sniffled, "See…"

            Taichi smiled and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry I made you worry, _Imouto__._"

            Hikari returned the embrace. "I just don't want to lose you too, _Oniichan__._ Not like that."

            Maria smiled, a slight tear running down her cheek. "It's so cute. I wish I had an older brother."

            "Do you have any siblings?" Plotmon X asked.

            The Latino woman shook her head. "No, I'm an only child."

            Hikari sniffled for a final time. "Okay, let me just get dressed, then we'll call a meeting with Yamato and Jyou, and decide what to do."

            Taichi nodded. "All right." He wandered into the living room with Agumon X and turned on the television.

"Are you gonna bring that book?" Agumon X asked.

"The Machina Codex?" he asked, "Thanks for reminding me. That's a good idea."

The two young women appeared a short time later, Hikari pushing Maria in her wheelchair. Hikari had changed into a short-sleeved pink t-shirt and a pair of white jeans. Maria was wearing a long-sleeve brown shirt and a blue skirt. "So what's the plan?" Plotmon X asked.

            "We're going to see Yamato," Taichi said. He glanced at his watch, "We've got six hours, we'd better come up with something…"

111

            Catherine sighed heavily as she leaned back against the cold, gritty, sand blocks that comprised the wall of her jail cell. She sighed deeply and brought her knees up to her chest. "_Damnez__-le…"_

            "What?" one of her cell-mates asked.

            She smiled at the red-headed woman. "Nothing, Sora, just swearing out my frustrations…"

            The other woman nodded in agreement as she stared at the thick metal door in front of them. "I think that's the only thing that's getting out in here."

            "Oh, good one," Floramon said, from where she was seated next to her partner.

            "She's pretty funny," Piyomon said, "You should hear her during her stand-up comedy routine."

            Catherine and Sora chuckled. The French woman finally asked, "What do you zink zey even want wit' us?"

            "It's got to do something with that weird light/energy thing             that the other girls and us have. When we tried to power them up, I saw that the Demon King guy…"

"Cahiti," Floramon said.

The redhead nodded. "Right, Cahiti. He had that weird energy object on his arm and he took some of the energy when the others went into Taichi and the others. That's why I stopped you from using it." She sighed deeply, "I wonder if Taichi and the others were even able to survive after the energy they gave them."

            "Of course they're alive!" Piyomon gasped, "They wouldn't die like that! There's no way!"

            "I just hope you're right," the redhead said.

            The prisoners turned their attention to the stone door as it slowly slid open to allow Cahiti, Asro to enter. "What do you want?" Sora asked.

            "We just thought you were getting bored," Asro answered slyly, "All here in your lonely cell. Not like me with so many strong men around here…" She seductively ran her fingers across Cahiti's face.

            "How disgusting," Catherine said, "Why don't you two get a room?"

            Asro opened her arms. "Hey, don't get jealous. I'm more then willing to give you a run with this…" She mentioned to her breasts and crotch, "If you're interested."

            The French woman began to vomit in her mouth.

            The Demon King chuckled and crossed his arms as he addressed his prisoners. "We'll be getting to you soon, something else has come up that we're pretty interested in watching. It won't be too much longer."

            "What are you talking about?" Catherine asked.

            Cahiti only chuckled as he turned to leave. Asro gave them a playful wave and exited as well, shutting the door behind her.

            Sora shivered. "Man, that's so creepy seeing _myself_ talking to me! Especially like that!"

            "Why does she look like you anyway?" Piyomon said.

            "I have no idea," she said, running a hand through her red hair, "Why can't life ever be easy for us?"

            "I zink zat was just the dice we were cast," Catherine smiled slightly.

            "Reading American poetry?" she asked.

            "She can speak _Anglais_ pretty well," Floramon added.

            "So can I," Sora added, "Mimi taught me a lot."

            "Ah," Catherine said, "But I can also speak _Japonais_, you can't speak my language."

            She frowned. "No…"

            "I don't know how long we will be here," she said, "Why don't I teach you some French, yes?"

            The redheaded woman smiled. "Sure, why not?"

111

            On Earth, the X-Chosen had wanted to assemble at Yamato's apartment, but he and Noriko, as well as their partners, were quick to disagree. They did not want to explain why, but Noriko's Plotmon did explain under her breath that the apartment was a pig sty, as well as it being nothing more then a large studio apartment. The Yagami apartment was still not large enough, so they journeyed over to Jyou's apartment.

            Yamato used his spare keys to open the door and they stepped inside in a large, multi-roomed apartment. Hikari, Maria, Noriko and their partners were in awe at the elegantly designed living room stretching before them. "I don't believe this," Hikari gasped, "How can Jyou afford a place like this?"

            "I think his school pays for most of it," Yamato explained.

            Taichi wandered deeper into the apartment when he noticed dark shadows around him. He glanced up and saw blackness. "Hey, the lights are off."

            "Lights," Yamato said. He started glancing at the walls until he found a panel with a series of switches. He began to flip them until every room was lit brightly. "There."

            "Where is Jyou anyway?" Maria asked.

            "He had to go into school today," the blond man answered, "But he's gonna get off as soon as he can."

            "I don't know if I feel right about using his place when he's not here," Maria said.

            The phone began to ring. Yamato walked over and pressed the speaker button. "Jyou?"

            "Yeah, it's me," he said over the speaker.

            "Don't forget me!" another voice said.

            "Gomamon!" Jyou shouted, "Get off of there! You're gonna…!" He was cut off when a loud crashing sound was heard.

            "All right," Taichi said, "We've got to get to business. We can't let the Chosen Council do this."

            "I really don't see what the big deal is," Yamato said, "If all they're doing is classifying them to help cure them…"

            "I think he might be right," Jyou said over the speaker phone, "The more people a virus infects, the more chances it has to mutate. What would be the point of finding a cure for the base BD-2, when it mutates into BD-2, variant-A?"

            "I can't believe it!" Taichi gasped, "You're just let them burn numbers into everyone's arms! Don't any of you remember the Holocaust? Because that's where this is headed!"

            "It might not be as simple as that…" Yamato started.

            "No, it is!" Taichi shouted.

            Hikari was afraid that an argument was about to break out, so she stepped between the two young men. "Um, none of us have BD-2, why don't we see what..._they_…think." She glanced over her shoulder at Noriko, Maria and their partners. "What do you think?"

            Maria hesitated. "I…I…"

            Hikari walked over and placed her hands on the younger woman's shoulders. "It's okay, you can say whatever's on your mind."

            The Latino woman nodded. "I'm…I'm scared about this. I don't want to end up with a number on my arm and…and then sent away from my friends and family…."

            "Yeah, me too," Noriko said, "I mean, I want to be cured and everything, but I've got to give up MY rights because of it? No thanks…"

            Taichi glanced at Yamato and crossed his arms. The blond man stared back. "Yamato…" Gabumon X said.

            He shook his head. "Okay, maybe you're right."

            "Wait a second," Jyou said over the speaker phone, "Is everyone voting to go against this?"

            "That's right," Taichi said.

            Jyou sighed deeply. "All right, then I guess Gomamon and I are in on this too."

            Taichi grinned. "Perfect. Now…" He turned to Yamato, "There's something you need to tell us."

            He blinked. "What?"

            "When we saw those Demon Lords yesterday, two of them looked like me and Sora. When I asked them about how every other Demon Lord was a Chosen that died, he said to ask you…"

            Yamato hesitated. "I…um…" He glanced down at his partner. "Gabumon?"

            Gabumon X nodded. "I think we need to tell him."

            "Tell him what?" Agumon X asked, "What's going on?"

            "All right," Yamato sighed, "All right. Taichi, both you and Sora were…dead, I mean, kinda, for a little while anyway…"

            Hikari gasped, and Taichi stared directly at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

            "It was during Myotismon's attack on the city," Yamato explained, "You left me to take care of Hikari. Sora found us but she didn't know that Phantomon had followed her. He had a Snimon and Tuskmon with him and they started attacking us. Phantomon had his chain around my neck, and Sora came up from behind to attack him with a log. He spun around and attacked with his scythe. It cut through the log and also right through her chest. There was so much blood, and…and I could see it in her eyes, she was gone."

            He took a deep breath and continued, "That was when Hikari came out of the warehouse, screaming as loud as she could. Light was just pouring off of her body, and that strange light healed Sora and…brought her back to life."

            "Weird light?" Hikari asked.

            "Your special power," Yamato explained, "Your Crest of Light. Takeru told me that just by holding your crest, Wizardmon was healed."

            Taichi nodded slowly. "O…okay. W…what about me?"

            He stared at him. "Piedmon."

            "What?"

            He nodded. "Yeah. You and Wargreymon tried to fight him by yourselves. By the time I got there, you were just hanging on by a thread, but…but I was too late. You died Taichi, but somehow my crest brought you and Wargreymon back."

            He shook his head. "No, I remember that. I was still conscious when you got there…"

            "No you weren't. Taichi, you were dead, you weren't breathing and you had no pulse."

            "I don't remember any of this," Hikari protested, "I don't remember Sora and I don't remember Oniichan…I mean, I was there for both of them…"

            "You didn't know about Taichi because I was the only one close enough to tell," Yamato clarified, "But with Sora…I don't know why you didn't remember, maybe you just didn't see Sora close enough or maybe you blocked the memory, but I remember it clearly. And since you, Sora, Taichi or anyone else ever said anything about it, I just kind of kept it to myself." He shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea at the time…"

            "I…I need to sit down," Taichi said, collapsing onto the couch.

            The room was silent for a moment before Agumon X walked over to his partner. "Hey Taichi. What about that book?"

            "The book?" Yamato asked, raising his eyebrow.

            "The Machina Codex," Taichi explained, "We did bring it, right?"

            "I put it in Maria's bag."

            Maria blinked and looked over her shoulder to the book-bag hanging around the wheelchair's handlebars. Noriko walked over and fished through it until she pulled out a thick book. "This?"

            "Yeah," Taichi said, taking it from her.

            "That's the book you stole from that place beneath Nightsun?" Maria asked.

            Taichi nodded. "Yeah. I read through it last night…well, most of it. Anyway, it talks about the creation of the Digital World and stuff like that."

            "Really?" Plotmon X asked, "Like what?"

"Well, it said that after the Digital World was created, there was a race of holy digimon that ruled and watched over the other digimon that were being born. But a lot of them started to become evil and they became the first evil virus digimon. There was some kind of war and the digimon called the first Chosen into their world and…"  He began to read from the book. "_And these children were as follows: Hidokoro of Fire, Kendra of Water, Svetlana of Wind, Montenagro of Earth, Lucien of Light, Daiyu of Darkness, Glaucio of Metal, and Abungu of Forest. The last and youngest of these warriors, being the bravest and the most noble, was named as their leader. He was thereafter known as Yuushi."_

            "Yuushi?" Gabumon X asked, "Isn't that what Miayag called that staff that she found?"

            Taichi nodded. "Yeah. And remember what Mina said about Nightsun? It was Cer, the capital city of Ceria?"

            The others nodded.

            "Well, according to this book, the first Chosen set up some kind of empire and their capital city was the Holy Island, which is in the center of the Digital World. They ruled for a long time until the Empire of Ceria attack and destroyed the First Chosen. They brought a lot of treasures and stuff like that back to Cer with them. That staff must have been one of them."

            "What happened to Cer?" Jyou asked over the speaker phone.

            "I don't know," Taichi said, "But considering how…how…um…um…"

            "Decrepit?" Agumon X suggested.

            "Yeah, how decrepit Nightsun was, they were either attacked, or they just kind of…passed…"

            Maria turned to Noriko. "Um, did you, uh, recognize…"

            The older woman nodded. "Yeah, I did."

            "What?" Hikari asked.

            "Cahiti…the…the uh, Demon King, called Sora, 'Fire,' and Catherine, 'Light."

            "Fire and Light?" Hikari asked.

            Taichi glanced down at the open book in front of him. "Fire and Light, along with Water, Wind, Earth, Darkness, Metal and Forest…"

            Yamato began to pace the floor, "When Lynna showed that light, it was blue…and Noriko's light was black…"

            "Water and Darkness!" Hikari gasped.

            "And Maria's light was brown," Taichi said, looking at the Latino woman, "Earth."

            "Iduia's light was gray," Noriko added, "And Keeya's was green…"

            "Metal and Forest," her Plotmon gasped.

            "Wait a second!" Jyou said over the speak phone, "What does this mean?"

            Taichi jumped to his feet. "It means we've got to get them here as soon as possible. The Demon Lords were after them, and now with the Chosen Council marking Chosen with BD-2, we can't let them know about what's going on with them."

            He turned to Maria. "Can you call Mimi and Michael and tell them to get Iduia here as fast as possible?"

            She nodded. "S…sure…"

            "We've got to call Yuri, Mina and Dingo too," he said, "But Schmidt said they were starting in the Western Continent…All right, Yamato, can you and Jyou help Anna, Lynna and Keeya get here? Hikari and I will give Mimi and Michael a hand."

            Maria's face lit up. "Can I go too?"

            "I think it would be safer if you stayed here," he said.

            "Don't worry," Noriko smiled, "I'll be here to watch you."

            "But, they're after you too," Maria's Patamon said.

            "Hey, I'm trying to act like the hero here, don't spoil it."

111

            The High Priestess Miayag, leader of the Digiataltri church, stared at her priestess. "The forces of the Chosen Council is moving to the Western Hemisphere?"

            Tatum nodded. "That is correct. New Havenwood is going to be the starting point for their '_classification…_"

            She nodded. "Very well. Ready the army, we march within the hour."

111

            The city of New Havenwood, located near the eastern coast of the Western Continent of the Digital World, was normally a city filled with chaos and disorder, and yet, it was the sounds of life and hope. Now, it was filled with silence, silence and fear. The BD-2 infected Chosen of that coast were forced into the city by the armies of the Chosen Council, including Iduia.

            The young woman stood in the midst of a sea of infected Chosen. Her Kokuwamon stood closely at her side. "What's going to happen to us?"

            "I…don't…know…" she answered. She glanced around at the other infected Chosen standing around her. They were young adults and teenagers of both genders, all races, tall and short, large and thin. Their digimon were mostly at the Child level, but there were a few Adults. Not enough to counter the Adult digimon that comprised the Chosen Council's partners, not including the four Fully Evolved partners of the four leaders of the Council present.

            Specifically, the four Perfect digimon that were standing before the crowd of infected Chosen. One was a hunched over digimon with green hind legs, long blue, three-clawed arms and long insect wings on his back. The human partner of this digimon was Sebastian Pierce, a muscular young man with a buzz-cut of curly brown hair and dressed in a pair of brown sweat pants, a short-sleeve green shirt and a white button-down shirt.

The other Fully Evolved digimon was a Meramon burring with icy blue flame instead of orange. Her partner was Raven Frost, a young woman dressed in a purple mini skirt, a sleeveless blue shirt adorned with waves of a darker blue. Her hair was pulled into a tight strand behind her head, flowing in the wind.

Another was Lilamon, a human-looking digimon with a yellow torso, pink arms and legs, flower petals for hands and feet and a large open petal on her back. She was the partner of Madelyne Osborn.

Mach Gaogamon, was a large wolf that slightly resembled Weregarurumon, expect with metal gauntlets on his forearms. His partner was the leader of the Chosen Council, Victor Von Schmidt himself.

            The Chosen Council leader began to speak. "Good afternoon. As Security General of the Chosen Council, it is with great reluctance that I must do this. Please give us your full cooperation, and this will go as pleasantly as possible." He nodded at Osborn.

            "All right, listen up!" the young woman said, "All of ya girls go with Miss Frost here, while ya guys go with Mister Pierce. Move out!"

            The group of Chosen reluctantly began to file into classifications by gender. Iduia and Kokuwamon stood behind a woman with a blue Agumon as a partner. She looked to the tops of the buildings. "Mimi…Michael…where…are…you…?"

111

            Mimi and Michael had wanted to immediately run to New Havenwood to help Iduia, but after hearing that Taichi and Hikari were coming to help them, they decided to wait. Once the Yagami siblings arrived, they quickly journeyed to the city in the Western Continent of the Digital World. Had they been regular Chosen, they could have entered the city without any trouble, even with it being occupied by the Chosen Council. However, they were X-Chosen, modified by the X-Antibody, and as such seen by many as the enemies of the Chosen with BD-2. If they wandered into the city in plain view, there would no doubt have been a riot. They would have to silently enter without being seen.    

            They silently approached the center of the city, where the infected Chosen were gathered. The X-Chosen took to the rooftops and peered over the ledge. The infected Chosen were filed into lines and being led to large tents where the Council members were waiting. They asked them a series of questions before stamping a permanent tattoo on their arms, a tattoo of a number.

            "What's going on down there?" Palmon X asked.

            Mimi placed a finger to her lips. "Shh!"

            The group remained in silence as they strained to hear the conversations occurring below. One of the infected Chosen, a teenage boy with a red Gabumon as a partner, approached the desk. Sebastian Pierce of the Chosen Council was seated behind, glancing down at a series of thick notebooks. "Chosen team?"

            The Chosen with the Gabumon nervously answered. "Cario."

            He searched through the stack of books until he reached one that contained the label, "Egyptian Team" He opened it to the last writing page. "Name, Family name first…"

"Kayser, Mohen."

             He wrote the name down. "Partner…Gabumon?"

            Kayser nodded. "Yes."

            The Chosen behind the desk glanced over the Arabic young man. "Degree of infection…?" The infected Chosen was missing sections of his skin and his fingers were beginning to disappear. "Level 2….Okay, please pull down your shirt collar."  
            Kayser did as he was told. Pierce took a rectangular box and pressed it firmly onto the back of Kayser's neck. When he removed it, there was a number burned into his skin. "All right," Pierce said, "You are now Infected Chosen Designate: EC234. You might be contacted to be relocated. Now please move aside."

            On the rooftops, Hikari had to turn away. "Hikari?" Plotmon X asked.

            "I…I can't believe it!" she gasped, "They're….they're treating them like cattle!"

            "There's Iduia!" Mimi gasped.

            The X-Chosen turned their attention to where Mimi was pointing, a long line of female Chosen, and standing at the head of that line was Iduia and Kokuwamon. They stepped to the desk, where Raven Frost of the Chosen Council was operating. "What's your Chosen team?"

            "Brasillia…"

            "Where?"

            "Brasillia…capital…of…Brazil…"

            Frost sighed in annoyance and reached for her Brazil notebook. "Name, family name first…"

            "Ramiro…Iduia…"

            "Partner?"

            "Kokwuamon…"

            She wrote the names in the book as she stifled a yawn. She gave Iduia a quick overlook. "Metal voice box? Oxygen tank?"

            Iduia nodded.

            "All right, stand still." Frost walked around from behind the desk and burned a number into Iduia's neck. "You are now Infect Chosen Designate: BB145. Because you have an Infection Number of 1 you are in the highest infection category. You will be relocated to an appropriate camp at the end of the day…yada…yada…yada…" She waved her hand and shouted over her shoulder, "Hey Madelyne, we've got another Level 1!"

            Osborn walked over and stared at Iduia. "Wow, ya've got ta be the sickest Chosen I've seen!" She shrugged. "Well, come on."

            On the roof top, Michael had to grab Mimi from leaping off of the roof and slamming into the pavement below. "Mimi…Mimi, stop!"

            "Michael!" she screamed, "They're gonna send her to some kind of…of…."

            "Concentration camp," Taichi sneered.

            Mimi twirled around and stared at him. "We're gonna do something, right? We're not gonna let this continue, right?"

            Taichi sighed deeply as he examined the digimon below. "There's a lot more of the Chosen Council here then I thought…"

            "What?" the young woman shouted, "We're not gonna help them?!"

            "Mimi, calm down," Michael said, "That's not what…"

            They were cut off as a violent roar echoed through the city. Everyone present instantly began to twist their heads in surprise and fear. Another roar blasted through the streets. Schmidt, who had been seated within the largest tent erected in the center of the town square, ran out to join the other Council members. "What is going on here?"

            "A group of powerful digimon are coming this way," his partner, Mach Gaogamon replied, exiting the tent as well, "They have scents I've never smelled before."

            The ground suddenly began to shake as tremors blasted through the pavement. The source of the mild earthquakes was revealed as a massive, metallic digimon appeared from behind one of the tall buildings. "Mugen Dramon?" Taichi gasped.

            "Digitalatri?" Agumon X asked.

            Plotmon X mentioned to a teenage male on the massive digimon's back. "Well, since that's Takashi, I'd say, yeah."

            Betamon X glanced to the sky and shouted. "Look up!"

            The others stretched their necks and saw a large serpent spiraling above them. "Metalseadramon," Michael said, "But who's that on his back?"

            "That's one of Digitalatri," Taichi said, "Jyou said his name was James."

            Agumon X peered over the ledge. "And there's the other one…Vicente. He's got a Skull Satanmon for a partner."

            "What about Tatum and Sam?" Mimi asked.

            The orange dinosaur shook his head.

            Mimi nodded sadly. Michael placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned and hugged him tightly. "It's not our fault, no matter what she said."

            "I know, but…"

            "Is Miayag here?" Hikari asked, glancing over the roof's edge. She saw the Digitalatri's High Priestess walking behind Mugen Dramon, holding the Staff of Yuushi regally in her hand. Witchmon hovered behind her. "I guess that answers my question…"

            The infected Chosen and the council members stood nervously as the Digitalatri marched into the city. Schmidt stepped forward. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

            "I am Chihi Miayag, the High Priestess of the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Digitalatri. You wish to treat these Chosen infected with the Second Black Death as nothing more then cattle is the most humiliating and evil act I have seen committed thus far. You will be punished for these transgressions!"

            Schmidt crossed his arms. "So, you are Miayag. I've heard about your church, and while I support the right to believe and worship however you wish, I'm afraid that you are interfering in official Chosen Council business. Leave now and I will not need to use extreme force."

            She raised an eyebrow. "You stand in the way of divine will? The God of the Digital World commands me, and He will not tolerate this!"

            "If you don't surrender now, I will use force! And I don't think either of us wants the Infected Chosen to get caught in the middle."

            Miayag began to address the infected Chosen. "Hear me now! Is this how you want to live, being nothing more then a number?" She threw her arms open, "If you wished to be saved, then join with us!"

            "Nobody move!" Osborn shouted, "That's an order!"

            "They're ordering you around!" Miayag shouted, "They care nothing for you! Join with us, and be saved. Do this now!"

            The infected Chosen glanced at one another, then began to move towards the Digitalatri. "Stop them!" Osborn shouted. The Council's army began to close in around the defecting Chosen.

            Miayag threw her arms into the air. "Takashi, James!"

            Both Digitalatri Chosen ordered their digimon partners to attack. Mugen Dramon unleashed his Infinity Cannon, which easily decimated half of the Council's Adult-digimon army. James and his Metalseadramon destroyed the other half with near-ease. The infected Chosen screamed and scattered into the depths of the city. The four members of the Chosen Council with Fully Evolved digimon remained, and they rallied around Schmidt. The Council leader was boiling with anger.

            "My threats are not empty," Miayag said, "I hope now you understand that."

            "Stop! Stop!"

            Both the Digitalatri and Council turned their attention to X-Chosen, who had left the safety of the building roof to run between the opposing forces. Hikari was in the lead. "Stop! No more killing!"

            Miayag looked on with a mixture of horror and awe. "Yagami, don't tell me you are actually siding with…them!" She mentioned to Schmidt.

            "Yagami?" Schmidt asked. He turned his attention to the gathered group of X-Chosen and indeed saw the messy-haired young man standing in the rear, but it was the blond man standing next to Mimi that caught his attention. "Michael, it's good to see you again, but why are you X-Chosen here?"

            "Again?" Taichi asked, "You know him?"

            Michael shook his head. "I don't think now's the best time….."

Taichi nodded and turned to Mimi and whispered as low as he could. "Go and find Iduia, we'll keep them busy."

            The young woman nodded and she and Palmon X secretly slunk away. Taichi stared at Miayag. "I am not siding with anyone!" He glared over at the Chosen Council, "Especially, a Neo-Nazi!"

            She wrapped her arms around her torso. "Then, I have to repeat Security General Schmidt's question, what are you doing here?"

            "We're here to stop _both_ of you," he replied.

            She placed her Staff of Yuushi firmly on the ground. "So, you oppose the Chosen Council, yet, you also oppose me, who speaks the will of the Supreme One?"

            "We won't stand by and let you kill hundreds of people!" Hikari shouted.

            "But you'll let them treat sick, dying Chosen like cattle being led to the slaughter?" James asked.

            "That's not what she meant!" Plotmon X shouted in protest.

            "Then what did she mean?" Takashi asked.

            While the X-Chosen and the Digitalatri argued, Osborn walked over to Schmidt. "What are we gonna do? Fight?"

            The Council leader crossed his arms. "That Miayag is far too dangerous to be left alive. She could start riots on every continent. And if the infect Chosen rebel, there goes our control over the Digital World."

            "What are ya gonna do?" Osborn asked.

            Schmidt glanced over his shoulder to where his Fully Evolved partner was standing. "We are going to rid this world of a noted terrorist. And it is with great reluctance that I must personally remove her from this world, for the good of the peace." He reached for an oddly-shaped gun resting on his hip." This electro-magnetic gun will destroy any digital information, even a human that's been digitized."

            The Digitalatri and the X-Chosen were still arguing. "How much longer are we going to listen to this?" Vicente asked, "Why don't we just destroy them right now?"

            Miayag smiled broadly. "I am beginning to think that is not a bad suggestion. And after we destroy you, I will reclaim the first part of the Machina Codex that you stole from me."

            "Hey," Agumon X shouted, "That book was still in that chest, it was fair game!"

            "But you are not worthy to touch it," she replied. She made a mention with her staff, "Vicente, Takashi, James, be prepared to…."

            She was never able to finish her sentence as a blast of glowing energy struck her in the side of the head. The X-Chosen and the Digitalatri watched almost in slow motion as the High Priestess fell to her side, her head slamming into the pavement.

            "Chihi!" Witchmon shouted, shooting over to her, "Chihi!"

            "Lady Miayag!" Vicente exclaimed, running over to her. He knelt down beside her. "She…she's still alive, but I don't know for how much longer."

            The X-Chosen turned their heads to the Chosen Council, where Schmidt was lowering his EM-gun. "Another terrorist had been eliminated for the safety of the world."

            "You just killed her!" Hikari gasped, "You…killed…her…"

            Schmidt mentioned to Osborn, who began to walk forward. "In the name of the Chosen Council, I am placing you all under arrest…"

            The Digitalatri ignored her. "We've got to get out of here," Vicente said, "Get her to a hospital or something…"

            "I can handle that," Takashi said. His turned to his partner, "Mugen Dramon, get us out of here."

            "As you wish," he responded. He pointed his massive cannons at the buildings surrounding the city square. He began to fire like an automatic weapon, blasting and destroying as many buildings as he could, sending waves of debris to the ground.

            "Let's get out of here!" Taichi shouted.

            "I hope Mimi's safe…" Michael muttered as he and Betamon X began to flee.  Taichi and Agumon X were ready to follow, but Hikari was still standing in place.

            "Hikari!" Taichi shouted.

            "What about the Chosen Council?" she asked over the roar of the collapsing building. She strained her eyes to see through the cloud of smoke and dust, "They're still…"

            Her older brother pulled on her arm, forcing her to move, "We can't worry about them now! Come on!"

            The younger Yagami reluctantly agreed and followed her brother out of the city.

111

            Schmidt, Osborn, and the other Council members had successfully escaped the destruction of the town square and were now recuperating only a few blocks away. "Damn it," Osborn coughed, "What now?"

            "We've got to finish the marking of the infected Chosen," Schmidt replied, "Regardless of rebellious X-Chosen or religious fanatics, we still have to exterminate them before the plague spreads any further!"

            "And perhaps I can help you in that endeavor…"

            Schmidt spun around and watched as a figure draped in an orange hood and cloak approached him. "Who are you?"

            "My name is Cahiti," he answered, bowing slightly, "and I am a…deity of the Digital World…"

            "You mean a god?" Schmidt asked, "Why would a human be a Digital God?"

            "That is a question for another time," he answered.

            "All right, fine," Osborn said, "But what are ya doin' here?"

            "I've come to help you cleanse the Digital World of the Second Black Death. With my help, the infected Chosen can be effectively eliminated."

To be continued…..


	11. The Mark: Chapter 2

            _My name is Catherine Rupert, and I didn't receive my digimon partner until the infamous Christmas Invasion. That was when I met Floramon. That was also when I met the first Chosen I had ever seen…besides myself that is. Brash and impulsive Taichi, and young and mature Takeru._

_            Takeru….How much I cried for him when I heard that he had died. My heart went out to Yamato and his family. Takeru was one of the few people I had ever met that did not treat me as having lower a lower IQ simply because of my blond hair and my…let's say, supermodel good looks. Of course, while he didn't think I had a lower IQ, he and Taichi were practically falling over each other trying to impress me. Not that I haven't dealt with that on a daily basis…_

_            Then I caught BD-2, and my hair vanished and I large patches of my skin were eaten away. Ever since then, I've come to realize exactly how much I always depended on my looks to make me who I am. But if I don't have my beauty, what do I have?"_

_            Apparently, what I do have is control over the powers of light. Not the same 'Light' that Hikari has…I mean, I can't heal people, or read minds or anything like that, it's more like….like what happens when you turn on a light bulb. That kind of light, and Sora can control fire. At least, that's what the Demon Lords that kidnapped us said. They also said that the Chosen Council of the Digital World has begun marking the infected Chosen, to better classify them. They also said that Victor Von Schmidt, the leader of the council, apparently killed Miayag. I can't believe it!"_

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Mark:_

_Chapter II_

--

            Victor Von Schmidt, the Security General of the Chosen Council, stood with the Secretary of the Chosen Council, Madelyne Osborn. They were standing before the seven Demon Lords, all of whom had their hoods firmly over their heads, shadowing their faces. "So," Cahiti, the one in orange spoke, "How can we help you?"

"Hold on," Schmidt said, "You're the ones that came to me. "

            "That is true," Cahiti said, "And, as I said, we can help you in your mission to exterminate the infected Chosen."

            "And why would ya help us?" Osborn asked.

            "We are the Gods of the Digital World," he said, "It is our mission to secure the safety of the Digital World."

            "I'm not stupid," Schmidt said, "The only Sovereign anyone ever heard of was Qinglongmon, and he vanished after being freed by Yagami's Chosen Children. There are no Gods of the Digital World, maybe at one point, but not any longer."

            "You're wrong about that," the one in purple, Shiokuro replied.

            "What does that mean?" Schmidt's Gaomon asked.

            Cahiti chuckled. "You are correct, we are not gods, but our power _is_ supreme."

Schmidt nodded. "And I don't think that you're really interested in the safety of the Digital World."

            "And the only reason you're interested in exterminating the infected Chosen in order to save your own skin!" Seiduka, the one in blue, shouted.

            "What?" Osborn gasped.

            "It's planted all over your face," Asro, the one in red, added.

            "Not bad," Schmidt said, "You certainly have your eyes everywhere…"

"Yes…yes…" Cahiti placed his hands behind his back and began to walk in a circle around the two Council members. "Let's be frank then shall we? No more…bullshit, okay?"

            "Fine with me," Schmidt said.

            "We both want dominion over the creatures of this world, you are bound by the laws of your council charter, and we…well, let's face it, we'll never be popular enough for anyone to follow us. If you have the aid of we…heh, Gods, then it will appear as if you are acting from divine will, and we will get the worship we crave, what say you?"

            Schmidt glanced at Osborn. "What do you think?"

            "I don't think they can be trusted," she replied. She glanced at the Demon Lords, "No offense."

            "I wouldn't be so trustin' either," Karetu, the one in yellow, chuckled, "But we're not tryin' ta trick ya."

            Schmidt crossed his arms. "All right…for now…"

            Cahiti nodded. "Then we shall determine specifics later. In the meanwhile, please enjoy our generous, yet limited, hospitality." He mentioned to the door, and Schmidt and Osborn exited. The Demon King closed the door behind them.

            "Is this really such a good idea?" Amikyo asked.

            "It is a definite stroke of good fortune in our favor!" Cahiti laughed, "Schmidt and his 'Council" will be our pawns as we move towards our true goal. Now, each of you, hold out your hands…" He removed from his cloak the mysterious Soul Catcher, filled with the elemental energy stolen from: Maria of Earth, Anna of Wind, Lynna of Water, Iduia of Metal, Keeya of Forest and Noriko of Darkness. Only Sora of Fire and Catherine of Light refused to discharge their energy, and they were now trapped within the Demon's base, prisoners within a cell of iron and concrete.

            Cahiti held the artifact towards the ceiling and light from each of the six glowing crystals emerge and struck the hands of the Demon Lords, forming crystals of the same color in their palms. "What's this?" Asro asked.

            "I have given each of you a portion of the energy within this device," he explained, "While I still retain the highest amount, you now hold an elemental power as well as your own Crests of Sin."

            He looked at Seiduka, "In addition to your Crest of Wrath, you now hold the Element of Metal. Asro, in addition to your Crest of Lust, you also have the Element of Wind, Shiokuru, Crest of Greed and Element of Darkness, Amikyo, Crest of Envy, and Element of Water, Enk, Crest of Sloth and Element of Forest, and Karetu, Crest of Gluttony and Element of Earth."

            "What do you want us to do with these powers?" Enk asked, yawning loudly.

            "Bring a famine to the Digital World, the likes of which no one has ever seen. Dry the sears, kill the forest, stop the wind, turn the earth to salt, and block the sun. Do this secretly; do not let our 'reluctant' partners-the Chosen Council-know of this. We will help them exterminate the Infected Chosen only because of the pain and chaos it will cause." He grinned in ecstasy, "Oh, I can hear the screams already. And when we are seen with the council, we will be worshiped as Gods."

            He threw his arms to the ceiling, "Worshiped as Gods…."

111

            The Church of the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Digitalatri, was in chaos. Their leader, the High Priestess Chihi Miayag, had been shot, struck in the head by the Chosen Council leader, Victor Von Schmidt. Takashi and James had rushed her back to Nightsun, their base of operations, where she was being examined by their chief medical experts. Tatum, Hiroshi and Keiko were waiting nervously outside of the examination room.

            When the chief doctor finally emerged, the three Chosen began to bombard him with questions. He raised his hand to silence them. "I've done what I can, the rest will have to be up to the Digital God."

            "He will save her," Tatum said, "She has done so much for Him, He won't let her die."

            "We can only hope," Keiko said.

            "We must let her rest now," the doctor said, "Come."

            The group of Chosen reluctantly exited the hospital building, leaving only Miayag's faithful partner, Witchmon, in the room with her. The broom-flying digimon stared down at her unconscious partner.

            "Oh please, Chihi, you've got to wake up. Please, don't die on me…"

            She gave a regretful sigh before exiting the room as well. Miayag continued to lie on the hospital bed, eyes closed shut, a thick white bandage wrapped around her forehead and an array of sensors attached across her body.

            The room was silent, deathly silent. The only sound was the continued beeping of the heart-monitor machine. It kept a continued rhythm, beeping to a silent pendulum until it began to ding erratically. Her arms began to spasm and her body flung out of control, ripping the IV-unit out of her arms and pulling the sensors out of the heart monitor. Her eyes shot open and she gasped for breath.

She sat up in her hospital bed, panting heavily. She moved her hand to her forehead, specifically the bandages. She felt around to the rear and gently began to remove the medical cloth. Once it collected into her lap, she lightly touched the area where Schmidt's gun had struck. She was expecting there to be a serious injury, a laceration covered with stitches, however, to her surprise and awe, there was nothing. Any injury that should have been there was not.

            "The Digital God," she muttered, "I have been healed by His divine presence. His will shall be done!"

111

            Maria wheeled her chair over to the front door of Taichi and Hikari's apartment. "Yes? Can I help you?"

            An slightly older middle-aged woman answered from the other side. "Oh, um, this is Yuuko Yagami, Taichi and Hikari's mother…"

            "Oh, please come in, the door is unlocked."

            The door opened immediately and Mrs. Yagami walked inside. When she saw Maria, she smiled and bowed. "Oh, you must be Maria."

            "Yes," the Latino woman responded, "Taichi and Hikari aren't here right now…"

            She frowned. "Oh, I had told them that I was coming…"

            "I'm sorry," Maria responded, "They…uh…needed to step out…"

            "The Digital World again?" their mother asked.

            "Oh, you know about…?"

            She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do."

            "Well, then yes, they had a mission they needed to handle in the Digital World. I don't know when they'll be back, but…um…I guess you can wait here if you want."

            "Thank you," she said. "Um…do you know if Taichi has any of his school marks anywhere…."

            Remembering what Taichi had warned her about, Maria changed the subject. "What do you do for a living?"

            "Oh, I'm just a homemaker," she replied, shrugging slightly, "My husband makes more then enough, and now with the kids out on their own…" She smiled, "But, what about you? Do you have a job? Are you a student?"

            She fidgeted. "Actually…I…really don't have a job or am going to school. I moved to the Digital World permanently because of my digimon partner, Patamon. He can't survive for long on Earth."

            "Oh, you have a Patamon too?" she asked, "Takeru had one…" She began to look around. "Is he here….'he', right?"

            She nodded. "Yes. He is using the S-DEA right now."

            She nodded. "Let me try to remember…that's what Plotmon and Agumon had to use before they were…changed by the X-….Virus?"

            "X-Antibody," she explained, "Yes, Patamon is receiving energy that will act like the energy from the Digital World. But he can't stay here forever. I need to take him back in a few days."

            She nodded. "Right. This is very confusing…"

            "It was for me the first time, but Mimi and Michael helped me understand everything."

            "How are they? Good? Enjoying married life?"

            "I guess. They're really in love."

            Mrs. Yagami glanced at her wristwatch. "Well, no wonder I feel so hungry, it's after noon. Why don't we have some lunch?"

            The Latino woman smiled. "That would be great, thanks."

111

            The leaders of Digitalatri were in disbelief as their High Priestess, Chihi Miayag, sat before them in the capital building of Nightsun. Hiroshi and Keiko grabbed each other's hands tightly, while Tatum was on her knees, staring up at the sky.

            "How can you be healed?" James, partner of Metalseadramon asked, "I saw Schmidt shoot you!"

            "The Digital God has brought me back through His divine ability. My mission has not yet been fulfilled." She raised her arms, "We must reclaim the kingdom of our forbearers! We will take the Holy Island of the First Chosen!"

            "The Holy Island?" Keiko asked, "The island in the center of the Digital Ocean?"

            "That is correct," she responded, "Hiroshi, Keiko, you, Vicente and Sam will lead an expedition to that island."

            "What shall we do, my lady?" Tatum asked.

            "We march to Tokyo," she said with a sneer, "And reclaim the Machina Codex stolen from us by Yagami!"

111

            Victor Von Schmidt, the Security General of the Chosen Council, stood beside Cahiti, the King of the Demon Lords. They were staring down at the combined forces of the Demon Lords and the Chosen Council. They stood at attention, behaving in perfect routine. However, this was only a ruse: the Demon Lords began their deception of cooperation, while the Chosen Council trusted them all too easily, and wanted their alliance to continue perfectly. The Demon Lords continued to wear their hoods to hide their faces.

            "Good," Schmidt said, "This is our plan: each of you will be paired off, and sent to a specific area to aid first in the marking and then execution of the Infected Chosen." He mentioned to a large, muscular man with a Karetamon, a bird-man covered with black feathers. "Ivan Kragoff, you shall be partnered with Shirokuru, and your area will be Zeradza."

            He turned his head to another pair, "Raven Frost, you and Amikyo will have Auasta. Sebastian Pierce and Enk will aid you."

            He turned to another young man, this one dressed in lose jeans and a flannel shirt. "Samuel Sterns and Karetu, your mission will be to round up any Infected Chosen that has escaped."

            "Sounds like fun ta me," the Demon Hunter added with a smile.

            Schmidt placed his hands behind his back. "Asro and Seiduka, you will be paired with Madelyne Osborn and myself. We will be heading to Tokyo."

            "What's our mission?" Osborn asked.

            "Maria Silvano and Noriko Kawada are two confirmed Chosen infected with BD-2. They must be marked, and, according to Cahaiti's intelligence, Iduia Ramiro will be heading there, along with Keeya Garnet and Lynna Jeffry, two more confirmed Infected Chosen. They must be marked and catalogued."

            Cahiti stepped forward. "We are now a team together. Work with each other, and our mutual goals will be realized." He raised his hand and threw it to the side, "Go and fulfill your destiny!"

111

            Taichi and Hikari, along with Mimi, Michael, Iduia and their digimon partners, had returned to Tokyo, specifically, Jyou's apartment, where Yamato, Jyou, their partners, as well as Keeya, Lynna, Dingo, and their partners, were waiting. They had offered Mina to come with them, but she refused. She had already been marked by a group of the Chosen Council in the Southern Continent, but as she was at Level 3, the least contagious, she was allowed to remain free. She had gone to investigate a possible lead onto the true origins of the Demon Lords, and promised the X-Chosen that she would contact them as soon as she could.

            "What about Anna?" Taichi asked.

Jyou shook his head. "We were on our way, but we thought we should...uh…drop them off first…" He mentioned to Keeya and the others.

            "Yeah, uh, I guess that's not a bad idea," he mumbled.

            "I got a question," Lynna spoke up, "Where are we all stayin'?"

            "I was wondering that myself," Keeya spoke up.

            "I'm sorry," Hikari said, "We would offer, but with Maria staying with us, our rooms are all used up."

            "I don't think she'd mind sharing the guest room," Taichi said, "And if worst comes to worst, we can share our rooms too…"

            "Well don't look at me," Yamato said, "My apartment was barely big enough for me and Gabumon, with Noriko and Plotmon staying there…well…it's a tight squeeze."

            "What about this one?" Dingo asked, "It's big enough ta hold a continent!"

            Jyou began to pale. "Uh..um…ah…eh…."

            "Oh come on Jyou," Gomamon X said, "Everyone else is sharing their homes…."

            The elder Chosen sighed and waved his hand. "Yeah, all right…"

            Lynna and Dingo charged past the others and began scouring the rooms. "Hey, hold it a second!" Jyou shouted, running after them, "The guest rooms are…"

            "All right," Taichi said, "That only leaves Keeya and Iduia…"

            Michael and Mimi glanced at each other. "Um, maybe we can help with that…"

            "What do you mean?" Hikari asked.

            Mimi stepped forward. "My parents have a big apartment, and they said me and Michael could stay there whenever we wanted, and we can take Iduia and Keya…"

            "Are you sure?" Yamato asked, raising an eyebrow, "That's four people, plus digimon…"

            "It'll be no problem," the young woman smiled, "It'll be good to see Mom and Dad again…"

            Taichi shrugged. "Well, that worked out pretty well." He turned to Yamato, "You're going to get Anna and Yuri, right?"

            The blond man sighed. "Yeah…yeah…we're going..."

            "Taichi," Hikari said, "What about the rest of us?"

            Before Taichi could answer, a loud, mighty crash was heard from outside, the sound of metal hitting metal and glass shattering. The Chosen ran to the windows and peered outside. Down below them, hundreds of vehicles had been involved in a major accident. It appeared that traffic has suddenly came to a screeching halt somewhere further up the highway. "What's going on down there?" Keeya asked.

            Jyou turned on his television. After the screen came to life, the Chosen and their digimon partners all crammed one another to achieve a perfect view of the t.v. Displayed on the monitor was an image of a major intersection a mile from Jyou's apartment, and standing within that intersection was a massive, metallic creature and a smaller, spider-like monstrosity.

            "Mugen Dramon!" Yamato shouted.

            "Archnemon" Hikari asked.

            "Tatum…" Mimi said.

            "Digitalatri!" Gabumon X exclaimed.

            "Turn up the sound!" Taichi ordered.

            Jyou pressed the volume button on his remote and the voice of the reporter was soon heard as loud as possible.

            "…..calling themselves the Digitalatri have appeared in this city. They are connected to the Digital World and the Chosen Children, but at this point we are not sure how or to what degree…wait…wait, I'm just receiving word that the leader of this group, Chihi Miayag, has issued a statement. Quote: We are the Seekers of the Digital Light, we are Digitalatri. We do not wish to cause any further harm to this city or it's people, but we demand the return of what is ours, the Machina Codex! Deliver it to us, or face the destruction of this city!' Who exactly is this demand being sent?"

            "Miayag!" Agumon X gasped, "But, how can she be alive? Schmidt's gun shot right through her head!"

            "She rose from the dead…" Hikari said in awe.

            "What are we gonna do about the book?" Yamato asked.

            Taichi hesitated. "I…we didn't read everything in it yet, if she wants it so bad, then it's got to have more information then we know."

            Keeya glanced at the television. "But…they're hurting innocent people…"

            He ran his hands through his messy-hair. "Oh man! What the hell are we gonna do?"

            "I hate ta bring this up, but I think we've got another problem…" Dingo trailed off.

            Taichi spun back to the television. Displayed on the screen was a live image of an event occurring on the other side of the city: Schmidt and Osborn, along with their digimon partners, standing atop a building roof.

            "What the hell are they doing here?" Yamato shouted.

            "Yamato," Gabumon X, "You don't think it has anything to do with the Infected Chosen in this city?"

            "Maria!" Taichi shouted.

            "Noriko!" Yamato exclaimed.

            "We've got to keep them as far away from here as possible," Michael said.

            Taichi turned to Yamato and saw Mimi and Michael standing behind him. "All right, you three go after the Council, me, Hikari and Jyou will got after Digitalatri."

            "Wait," Mimi said, "Can't I see Tatum?"

            He hesitated. "I…I don't know…."

            "I'll go with Yamato and Michael," Jyou offered.

            Taichi nodded. "All right, Mimi, you're with me and Hikari."

            "Whadda 'bout me?" Dingo asked.

            "Stay here and protect the girls," he ordered, "Let's move!"

            The X-Chosen began to file out of the apartment, all except for Hikari, who was still staring blankly at the television. "Hikari!" Taichi shouted.

            "Right…right…" She slowly followed him out of the door.

111

            Mrs. Yagami nervously approached the door to her children's apartment when she hard a feverous knocking. "Hello?"

            "It's Noriko! Open up!"

            "She's a friend," Maria explained, wheeling over, "It's okay."

            The middle-aged woman nodded. She opened the door a crack and Noriko came rushing inside. "Maria!" she shouted, "Have you looked at…." She trailed off as she realized that Maria could not have opened the door from the living room. She spun around and saw Mrs. Yagami slowly pushing the door away from her.

            "Oh!" she exclaimed, turning beat red as she ran over to help her back to her feet.

            "Uh, Noriko," Maria said, "This is Taichi and Hikari's mother."

            Noriko began to blush even more. "I…um…"

            "Hey, this is a first," Noriko's Plotmon chuckled, "She's actually speechless."

            "It's okay," Mrs. Yagami smiled, "Really, I'm all right."

            Noriko was still stuttering an apology, and Maria did not want to interrupt her, but she was curious as to why she ran inside so quickly. "What can we do for you?"

            She blinked for a few minutes. "Oh, right. Um, have you been watching the news?"

            Maria's Patamon mentioned to the large television in the corner of the living room, which was displaying an image of the chaos occurring outside.

            "Oh. I think we might want to get somewhere a little safer."

            "Safer?" Mrs. Yagami asked.

            "I mean, the Council probably knows that we're here, why else would they be here?"

            Maria glanced over her shoulder towards Hikari's room. "We can't leave yet, I'm…."

            "The Digitalatri are here too?" Noriko shouted, staring at the television newscast.

            "Yes," Patamon sighed, "Didn't you watch everything?"

            "Patamon!" Maria shouted.

            "And they're right outside!" the other young woman shouted, almost pulling out what hair she had left.

            "Is she always like this?" Mrs. Yagami whispered to Maria.

            "I think she's just a little scared," she sighed, "So am I, I guess…"

            "Taichi and Hikari will make everything all right," Mrs. Yagami said, shrugging slightly, "I know they will."

            Noriko ran over to Maria's wheelchair and began to push her towards the door. "What are you doing?" the Latino woman asked.

            "Yamato called me on my cell phone, Lynna and the others are at Jyou's apartment. We're going there, then we're getting to a safer place."

            She tried to stammer out a protest, but a curious thought entered her mind. "Where did you get a cell phone?"

"Yamato gave me one…"

            "Yamato gave you one?" she repeated.

            She waved her hand. "It's not important…"

Maria only nodded and called out. "Mrs. Yagami," she called out, "Can you finish…?"

The middle-aged woman nodded. "I'll do it, don't worry."

            "You should be safe here," Noriko said, "The Council's only after us, and as much of a bitch as Miayag is, I don't think she'd come after you to get at Taichi and Hikari."

            "But," Maria added, "You should go somewhere safer. Please don't put yourself through any danger because of us."

            Mrs. Yagami nodded. "I understand."

            Noriko pushed Maria towards the door. "Come on, we've got to."

            Mrs. Yagami watched as the front door slammed shut, leaving her completely alone in her children's apartment. She nervously paced the living room. As she stepped on one of the floorboards, it creaked loudly, causing her to jump three feet into the air.

            "I've got to take my mind off of this…" She walked over to the television. The news report was now displaying images of Digitalatri, focusing on Takashi, Tatum, and finally Miayag.

            When Mrs. Yagami saw the image of the Digitalatri's High Priestess, her eyes bulged wide. Her knees became weak, and she needed to grab hold of the wall to keep from falling onto Hikari's living room rug.

            "It…it can't be…It's….it can't be!"

            She turned to run to the door, but stopped short. She ran into Hikari's room and emerged a second later with the first volume of the Machina Codex. She then ran out of the apartment as fast as she could.

111

            Taichi, Mimi and Hikari were running down the sidewalk towards the center of the Digitalatri's destruction. "What exactly are we going to do?" Palmon X asked.

            "A couple of things," Taichi said, "First, we've got to lead them away from the city, where they can really hurt people and plus, if they see Schmidt and Osborn, they'd probably freak out. Second, they're still a danger to the Digital World, it would be better to take them out."

            "Why?" Hikari asked, "Just because they believe something different then us?"

            Taichi turned to her. "What?"

            She shook her head and turned away. "Just…something I was thinking of…"

            They continued to run until they arrived at the location of the city where Mugen Dramon's massive body was standing within the intersection without much room to spare. The other members of the Digitalatri were standing at his feet. There was not the same crowd of people as there was around Schmidt and Osborn, as the intersection was surrounded by thousands of car crammed into a neck-to-neck traffic jam. The police had arrived, but like the Chosen Council, they were powerless to stop them.

            "Miayag!" Taichi shouted.

            The High Priestess of the Digitalatri held the Staff of Yuushi in front of her as she addressed them. "Yagami, have you brought the book?"

            "I'm not giving you anything," he said, "We found that book fair and square."

            "You stole it from under my nose," she said, "Besides, you are not worthy to touch it; it's sacrilege."

            Taichi sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm getting really tired of you saying that."

            "It is the truth," Tatum responded, "You are a plague that must be purged from the Digital World."

            Mimi stared in horror at her younger friend. "Tatum…"

            "Silence!" she shouted.

            Hikari, meanwhile, was staring at Miayag, specifically, her forehead. She had seen Schmidt's gun penetrate one side of the Priestess's head and out the other. Yet, now, she was completely healed. It was impossible, even for a Chosen.

            "If you won't hand the Machina Codex over," Miayag said, "Then we will have to take it from you!" She raised her staff, which began to glow with the light of a digivice.

            Her Witchmon partner floated over to her. "Witchmon evolve to Bastemon!"

            Taichi nodded at his small group. "Let's do it!"

            "Agumon X evolve to Greymon X! Greymon X evolve to Metalgreymon X!"

            "Palmon X evolve to Togemon X! Togemon X evolve to Lillymon X!"

            Plotmon X was waiting for the familiar bust of energy, but when she felt none, she spun to her partner. "Hikari?"

            The young woman nodded. "Right…right…"

            "Plotmon X evolve to Tailmon X! Tailmon X evolve to Nefertimon X!"

            Metalgreymon X charged forward, ready to slam his fists into Mugen Dramon's snout-face, but the metal monstrosity quickly brought his own hands up to block the assault. The dinosaur pushed forward as hard as he could, pushing with all of his might. The metal dragon did the same, moving forward slowly. Even though he was at his Final Level, Mugen Dramon was not able to easily knock Metalgreymon X, who was at a level lower then his own, to the ground. The two giant behemoths were locked in a power struggle with one another.

            Archnemon and Lillymon X, meanwhile, were battling one another with some reluctance on the part of the flower child. She hovered in the air, her leaf-wings buzzing loudly. The spider-digimon skittered along the ground. "Are we going to fight, or are you just going to float there all day?"

            "I don't want to fight you," Lillymon X said, "Please, I know you only evolved into Archnemon, but you're the same digimon that was Airdramon. I don't want to fight you." 

            "Too bad!" she laughed. The spider opened her hands and sent out streams of silk threads which wrap around Lillymon X's foot. She pulled as hard as she could, yanking the flower child into the ground. The spider sent out another stream of thread that covered Lillymon X's entire body within a cocoon. The flower child struggled, but she was trapped tightly.

            Archnemon laughed and leapt on top of her. She began to pound her face with her fists. Lillymon X groaned and moaned with each assault. She struggled to free herself, but her arms were bound tightly to her sides. After much struggling, she was able to slid her hands from her sides to where they met at her stomach. "F…F….Flower Cannon!"

            Her hands transformed into a blossoming cannon that blew out the front of the webbed cocoon and sent Archnemon tumbling onto her back. Lillymon X dove at her opponent and began to assault her with her own barrage of punches and jabs.

            Nefertimon X was staring down her own opponent, Miayag's Bastemon. The upright-cat woman licked her lips and mentioned with her long claws. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

            The four-legged cat looked at her partner. "Hikari, are we fighting, or not?"

            The young woman glanced over at her teammates. While Metalgreymon X and Mugen Dramon continued to ram into each other with all their might, Taichi and Takashi were shouting threats to one another. Archnemon was firing streams of silk threats at Lillymon X, who simply darted and dodged out of the way, even Mimi was cheering her partner on, while Tatum watched with heated interest. She slowly turned to look at Bastemon's partner. The High Priestess Miayag was holding her staff tightly as she stared at Hikari. The younger Yagami sibling could only stare at the priestess's forehead, and the area where there should have been an injury, but was completely healed.

            "What happened to your forehead?" she asked, "I saw Schmidt's gun…"

            "The Digital God had brought me back," she explained, "My divine mission is has not yet been completed."

            The color drained from Hikari's face. "You…rose from the dead…."

            "Hikari?" Nefertimon X asked.

            "D…don't!" she shouted, "Don't fight them!"

            Despite the roar of his curse-filled taunts, Taichi still heard his younger sister. "What?" he shouted, "Hikari?"

            "T…taichi," she said, "She came back to life! W…what if she really is some kind of…of savior…? Taichi, I can't…."

            "Hikari…." he trailed off.

            Miayag smiled and waved her staff before her. "I am indeed the savior of the Digital World. I will bring the message of the Digital God to the Chosen Children, and the glory of the First Chosen will be realized once again!"

            "And you'll just destroy everyone who doesn't believe in what you believe, right?" Taichi spat at her.

            "Have you looked at the world today?" Takashi asked, "Hell, that's been happening throughout history!"

            "Is that why you're doing this?" Mimi asked, turning to Tatum, "Because of what…what everyone else was doing? Didn't I teach you…"

            Tatum pointed a finger at her and screamed, "The only thing you taught me was that as soon as you get a cure, leave everyone else behind!"

            Mimi blinked, "W…what are you talking about?"

            "You know damn well what I'm talking about! We all get infected, but then you and Michael get cured by the X-Antibody! You promised you would help find a way to cure us, but you left us to die in the Digital World! You are a liar! A damn liar! You made us think that we needed you, well, we don't need you anymore."

            Mimi placed a hand over her mouth, but tears were beginning to fall from her eyes.

            Miayag tapped her staff into the ground. "They are correct. Only my crusade is not one of violence."

            "Then what are you doing here?" Taichi demanded.

            She pointed her staff at him. "You took the Machina Codex from us."

            "Are you insane!" he shouted, "You're endangering thousands of innocent people just because I took your things and you want them back?"

            "You are not…"

            "Worthy, yeah…yeah, I heard you the first million times…" he muttered.

            She looked over at her digimon soldiers, who were still engaging the X-Chosen. Mugen Dramon had managed to overpower Metalgreymon X and push him onto his back. The metal dragon pointed his back-based cannons at the dinosaur's face. "Prepare to die!" he shouted, "Infinity Cann…"

            Metalgreymon opened his chest plates and fired his two giant missiles at Mugen Dramon's chest. The force of the explosion was not sufficient enough to send him flying into the air, but it did force the Final Level digimon off of the Fully Evolved one.

            Lillymon X's strategy for attacking Archnemon was to stay a safe distance in the air and fly in as fast as she could to strike her with her hands and feet. She had been doing this since freeing herself from Archnemon's silk cocoon. However, she had gotten careless and came into to attack with her feet too soon after attacking with her hands, and the spider was able to grab her and smash her into the ground.

            "You're soldiers are losing, Yagami," Miayag said, "Hand over the Machina Codex before you are destroyed and we take the Holy Book from you."

            Taichi was struggling to think of something to say, when he caught a sight out of the corner of his eye. While there had been onlookers, they had fled when the battle began, there was now a middle-aged woman charging towards them at full force…a middle-aged woman that he instantly recognized.

            "Mom?" he asked in an awed whisper.

            Mrs. Yagami seemed to ignore her two children as she ran to the battlefield. The Digitalatri had taken notice of her, especially Miayag, who's eyes instantly focused on the book within her arms.

            "The Machina Codex!" she shouted. She turned to her partner and waved her arm. "Go!"

            Bastemon nodded and leapt into the air, flipping gracefully before landing before Mrs. Yagami. Before the middle-aged woman could react, Bastemon snatched the book and leapt back into the air. She was unaware, however, that when she jumped into the air, her tail struck Mrs. Yagami in the face. The force of the Fully Evolved digimon's accidentally strike sent the older woman into the side of a building. Her head struck the concrete bricks and her legs turned to rubber. She collapsed onto the ground.

            "Mom!" Hikari and Taichi screamed in unison.

            "Mom?" Miayag gasped, twirling towards her. As she focused on the unconscious woman, her mind flashed her a vision, a vision of another woman, lying in near death on a poorly mad bed…and the five-year-old girl that could only stare in horror.

            "No…" she muttered, "No…."

            Bastemon stared in equal horror. "I…I didn't mean…"

            The X-Chosen and their digimon partners had lost interest in the battle with Digitalatri and were now crowding around the fallen Mrs. Yagami.

            "What's going on?" Tatum shouted.

            "Nothing," Miayag answered, "Let's get out of here while we have the chance."

            Each of their digimon partners regressed to their Child forms, where they were easily concealed as they vanished into the crowd.

            Taichi grabbed his mother and shook her as hard as he could. "Mom…Mom!"

            "Oh my God," Mimi gasped, "Oh no…"

            "Call an ambulance or something!" he shouted.

            Mimi nodded darted for the nearest phone booth, while the Yagami children clutched to their mother. "Mom…" Hikari cried, "Mom…."

111

            Yamato, Michael and Jyou ran as fast as they could through the onlookers of Tokyo's awe-inspired citizens. "Come on!" Yamato shouted, "Let us through!"

            "Excuse me," Michael said, pushing past a group of women, "Excuse me, excuse me…" He accidentally knocked into a high school girl, specifically, her rear.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said, pushing past her. "Oh man, Mimi's gonna kill me…"

            "It's not that bad," Betamon X said, as he ran past the citizen's legs, "She won't even know…"

            The group eventually drove through the phalanx of people and arrived at the front of the group. Schmidt and Osborn, along with their Fully Evolved digimon partners, Machgaogamon and Lilamon, stood within the cleared intersection. The Tokyo police were standing with rifles drawn and pointed at the invaders.

            "I will tell you again!" the lead officer shouted, "Surrender now!"

            "We won't be surrenderin'!" Osborn shouted, "And once we get what we want, we'll leave."

            Her Lilamon mentioned over Osborn's shoulder. "They're here."

            When Schmidt noticed the X-Chosen, he smiled and crossed his arms. "Ah, so some of you have finally showed up."

            "What are you doing here?" Yamato demanded.

            The leader of the Chosen Council smiled and bowed. "Please forgive this intrusion. We are here on behalf of the Digital World. Please surrender the Infected Chosen you are harboring, specifically, BB145…."

            "Who?" Jyou asked.

            "Iduia Ramiro," Osborn said, "Hand her over now."

            "She's not going anywhere with you!" Michael shouted, "Not so you can kill her!"

            Schmidt kept his composure. "She will not killed, only moved so that we can better cure her…"

            "We don't buy it," Yamato said, "You're lying."

            He shrugged. "And I don't trust you X-Chosen either," he said, "You're involved in covert operations against us."

            "What?" Gomamon X exclaimed, "Covert operations? You're kidding, right?"

            "Then why do you stand against us?"

            "Because you're denying basic human rights!" Michael shouted, "Just because someone is sick, doesn't mean they're…they're liabilities for everyone else who _isn't_ sick!"

            "Are you gonna hand her over or not?"

            "Whadda ya think?" Gomamon X asked.

            Osborn just smirked. "All right. We gave ya a chance."

            "Shall I handle this now?" Lilamon asked.

            Osborn nodded. "Go for it."

            Schmidt glanced at his own partner. "Machgaogamon, you know what to do…"

            "Yes, Master."

            Yamato nodded at the others. "Go."

            "Gabumon X evolve to Garurumon X! Garurumon X evolve to Weregarurumon X!"

            "Gomamon X evolve to Tylomon X! Tylomon X evolve to Anomalocarimon X!"

            "Betamon X evolve to Seadramon X! Seadramon X evolve to Megaseadramon X!"          

            Machgaogamon and Lilamon walked forward. "You know," Anomalocarimon X said, "I can't help but noticing that you're outnumbered."

            Schmidt smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked to the sky and shouted out, "I think it's time you showed yourself."

            A moment later a bright blast of blue light exploded a few inches from Schmidt, revealing a figure draped in a light blue cape and cowl, with a demonic beast behind him.

            "A Demon Lord?" Jyou asked.

            "What's he doing here?" Megaseadramon X gasped.

            "Demon Lord?" Osborn asked, turning to Schmidt. The Security General only waved his hand to silence her.

            "In case you forgot, I'm Seiduka," the Demon Lord said, "I hold the Crest of Wrath."

            "Crest of Wrath?"  Jyou asked.

            Seiduka mentioned to his partner. "Demon, take whoever you want."

            The demon digimon growled with such rage and horror that the mass of onlookers instantly cleared the streets. Only the police officers and reporters remained, but they stepped back a considerable distance.

            Demon leapt forward swinging his fists into Weregarurumon X, sending him onto his back. Anomalocariomon X and Megaseadramon X jumped over to help, but Lilamon kicked into the sea digimon, while Machgaogamon grabbed the serpent's tail and flung him into the ground.

            Lilamon went to attack Anomalocarimon X once again, but the crustacean used his stinger tail to bat the flower woman into one of the traffic lights hanging over the intersection. She executed a perfect back-flip and dove to try her attack again. Anomalocarimon X pointed his pincers at her and fired a pair of twin glowing beams. "Tail Blade!"

            The flower fairy was struck in the chest and she hovered back slightly, clutching her breasts. "Ouch! Ouch! Why did you do that?" she cried, "Come on, you're so strong, you didn't have to hit me so hard!"

            "I'm sorry," Anomalocarimon X said, "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to hit you there…!"

            Lilamon was still clutching her injured torso as she descended to the ground. The crustacean digimon skittered over. The flower digimon smirked wickedly and twisted her body around, slamming her feet into the sea digimon's face. Her arms suddenly turned rubbery and she began to assault him with a series of punches. "Beauty Slap!"

            Anomalocarimon X struggled to free himself, but he was helpless to the flower woman's attack technique.

            Megaseadramon X shot like a bullet at Machgaogamon, his horn growing sharper and more jagged. "King Javelin!"

            The wolf digimon whipped his hands around and grabbed hold of the horn seconds before it would have skewered him.             The serpent continued to push forward with all of his might, but Machgaogamon was able to hold him off with remarkable ease. The wolf man threw him into the air and shot at his underside with his fists priming with energy. "Winning Knuckle!"

            Megaseadramon X felt the instant pain in his stomach. He curled to help alleviate the pain, but as he did, his head was pointing at Machgaogamon's back. He was now able to execute his King Javelin's attack, jamming his horn deep into the wolf's back. He stumbled forward in pain but managed to spin around, growling deeply.

Weregarurumon X flipped further onto his back and kicked Demon in the chest with all of his might. The demonic digimon stumbled back and the wolf tackled him to the ground. He slammed his face with his clenched fists. He assaulted him again, then again, then again. The demonic digimon swung his arms beneath the wolf and threw him into the air as hard as he could. Demon jumped back onto his feet and shot into the air after Weregarurumon X. He placed both of his palms together and shot out a stream of fire. "Flame Inferno!"

            "Weregarurumon!" Yamato shouted, "Get out of the way!"

            Even though he was in free-fall, Weregarurumon X was able to twist himself around and fire his own blue stream of energy. "Kaiser Nail!"

            The two attacks struck one another, resulting in a massive explosion of fire and light, showering the battlefield.

            Yamato placed his hand over his eyes to shield them from the explosion of light. "Damn it!"

            "Just give up!" Seiduka shouted, "You're not gonna beat me!"

            Yamato glared at him. His face was the exact duplicate of the deceased Daisuke Motomiya, but he was so full of anger, hate and…

            "Wrath," he said, "You said you have the Crest of Wrath. What do you mean?"

            Seiduka smirked. "Fine, listen up, 'cause I'm not telling you again! The Crest of Wrath was created from you."

            He blinked. "F...from me?"

            "That's right. Remember the Dark Masters, specifically, Pinocchimon and Juriemon?"

            Yamato winced at the memory of the cheery-tree digimon. "What about him?"

            "You were full of a lot of rage at that point, right? Rage, anger, hate, and Juriemon manipulated you into focusing all that anger and rage at Taichi, right? That was when the Crest of Friendship failed, and the Crest of Wrath was born. That's right, Yamato, my power comes from you!"

            The blond man swallowed a few times, comprehending what was just told to him. "T…then why do you look like Daisuke?"

            "You're not getting that from me yet. Now shut up and watch the fight, your partner's getting his ass kicked."

            Yamato growled but turned back to the battlefield.

111

            Noriko and Maria had reached Jyou's apartment in record time, despite the chaos occurring in the streets of the city. "Thank goodness you are all still here," Maria said.

            "So far," Lynna muttered.

            "We…should…be…safe…here…" Iduia said.

            "But for how long?" Dingo said, pacing the floor, "If that council knew that we were in the city, doncha think they know where we are?"

            "I think he's right," Noriko's Plotmon said, "We should get out of here now!"

            "I don't know," Keeya said, crossing her arms, "Taichi told us to stay here."

            "But Taichi's not here now," Lynna said, "And I think they're gettin' closer!"

            "Let's just wait a little longer," Keeya suggested, "Then we'll move if we need to."

            The others nodded and they turned their attention to the television. Yamato, Michael and Jyou were in the midst of their battle against the Chosen Council. To their surprise, they also saw Seiduka and Demon engaged in a fierce struggle against Yamato and Weregarurumon X. The demonic digimon charged at the wolf and slashed him across his fur-filled chest.

            "Oh no!" Noriko gasped, "Weregarurumon. Oh, I hope Yamato's okay…"

            Maria glanced over her shoulder and gave the slightly older young woman a glance, but said nothing.

            "What is a Demon Lord doing there?" Keeya's Mushmon shouted.

            "They're gettin' killed!" Lynna shouted, "And they're gettin' killed because of us!"

            Noriko stared at the screen, which was now focusing in on Yamato and Weregarurumon X; the wolf was lying on the ground, gasping for air. "Yamato…"

            She turned and began to walk to the door. "Where are you going?" Keeya asked.

            "I'm not gonna let them get killed because of me. What about the rest of you?"

111

            Yamato, Jyou and Michael were shaking with anticipation as they stared at their digimon partners. Weregarurumon X was once again on his back, helpless and Demon scratched and slashed at him with his long demonic claws, Machgaogamon had used both hands to grab Megaseadramon X and pull on him as hard as possible, while Lilamon was bashing and slapping Anomalocarimon X repeatedly with her hands.

            "Megaseadramon!" Michael shouted, "Hang in there!"

            "We can end this anytime you want," Schmidt said, "Just hand over the Infected Chosen that you're harboring."

            "We're not handing any of them over!" Yamato shouted, "Weregarurumon, get up and finish this!"

            Weregarurumon X struggled to get to his feet, but Demon's chaotic assault drastically picked up tempo. He began to slash at such an increased rate that he was not able to free himself. Demon grabbed Weregarurumon X and threw him into pavement. Lilamon's barrage of punches had left Anomalocarimon X's body so weak that she was easily able to throw him on top of Weregarurumon X.  Machgaogamon stretched Megaseadramon X as far as he could, then slammed his knee into the serpent's body before throwing him into Weregarurumon X and Anomalocarimon X with such force that all three X-digimon regressed to their Child levels.

            "Oh crap!" Michael shouted.

            Schmidt crossed his arms and stepped forward. "Now," he said, "Hand them over."

            The three X-Chosen glanced at one another. They nodded slightly and looked back at their enemies. "We're not doing that," Yamato said, "You'll have to kill us first."

            "No! Stop!"

            The X-Chosen and the Council twisted their head to the right and saw Noriko and the other young women standing a few feet away. They began to march forward, their eyes focused on Schmidt. "Stop hurting them. We're giving ourselves up to you."

            "What?" Jyou gasped, "Don't do it!"

            "Iduia," Michael said, "We're not out yet, we can still win."

            The Brazilian-BD2-Infected Chosen shook her head. "No…you're…lying…"

            "I still don't understand what the problem is," Schmidt said, "We are simply going to give them a number to classify the level of their infection…"

He nodded at Osborn, who pulled out a large notebook, along with the rectangular box that was used on the citizens of the Digital city of New Havenwood.  "Step forward!" she ordered.

            "Don't do this!" Yamato shouted. He tried to run forward, but Demon and Machgaogamon shot in front of them.

            Osborn began to record the information from the Infected Chosen. "Name and Chosen team?"

            Noriko was first. "Kawada, Noriko, Odabia Chosen."

            Osborn recorded the information, then burned the number into the back of her neck. "You're now JO324. Next."

            "Silvano, Maria. New York Chosen."

            "Your number is NY154. Next."

            "Jeffry, Lynna. Sydney Chosen."

            "Your number is SA230. Next."

            "Geney, Keeya. The Sudan."

            "Your number is AS244." She looked around, "Where is Anna Danika?"

            "We don't know," Yamato said, hate and rage dripping from his every word.

            "She will be found and marked, make no worry about that!" Schmidt grinned, "Now all those Chosen with Level 2 or 3 infection are free to go for now. However, those with the greatest infection level, Level 1, must come with us now."

            Osborn pointed at two of the young women. "Numbers NY154 and BB145, you're coming with us now."

            Maria felt her blood turn to ice. "No…"

            "Maria, no!" Michael screamed. He ran towards the wheelchair-bound woman, but was thrown back from a light pat by Machgaogamon. He and the others were helpless as Osborn pulled the Latino woman from her chair while Schmidt grabbed Iduia's arms. Their digimon partners trailed behind in defeat.

            "Stop!" Yamato cried in vain.

            The Chosen Council leader ignored him as he and Osborn walked over to stand beside Seiduak. The Demon Lord placed his hands on their shoulders, while his Demon partner did the same for Lilamon and Machgaogamon.

            Schmidt stared at the X-Chosen. "I would advise you to cease your insurrections against us, or else we will start to use force. Farewell…" He, along with Seiduka, Osborn and their digimon partners vanished in Seiduka's blue light.

            "No!" Yamato shouted, collapsing onto his knees. He began to pound the street with such force that it threaten to shatter the pavement. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!"

            Noriko hesitated a moment before walking over and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Yamato…"

            "That's twice!" he screamed, "Twice I had to watch as someone sacrificed themselves to safe us! Damn it!"

            Jyou suddenly became aware that the onlookers were now slowly walking towards them. "Come on, we'd better get out of here before we're all in jail."

            "Come on," Noriko whispered in Yamato's ear. The young man reluctantly rose to his feet. He lifted the injured Gabumon X and began to run after the others. His mind could only think of Maria and Iduia.

            "Damn it…"

            _The Mark has ended, the Book of Famine now begins._

Author's note: Thank you for your reviews. They are greatly appreciated, and I am truly, truly pleased that you are enjoying this fic.


	12. The Book of Famine: Chapter 1

_            My name is Maria Silvano, a Chosen from New York City, partnered to a Patamon. I am 19 years old, and I am dying. I apologize for being so straight forward, but it is the truth._

_            I became a Chosen in the winter of 2002, and along with Tatum Heany, Sam Anderson, Steve Williams, and Lou Proudstar, we joined with Mimi Tachikawa and Michael Barton and we became the New York Chosen. Mimi and Michael taught us everything we knew, and we became as good a team as the Odabia Chosen. We had so many adventures during that time, we grew up fighting and facing the choices no child should ever have to face. Mimi and Michael were married and went off to college, Tatum, Sam and I graduated from high school. I had not yet decided what I would do with my life, but it seems that I was never even given a choice._

_            It started with a simple computer virus, one that spread and infected countless computer systems around the world. It was annoying and dangerous, but no one knew how dangerous until it mutated into a serious virus that attacked the Chosen and Digimon population. As the original virus was designed to destroy the information on a computer's hard drive, the mutated virus ate at the digital information present in the Digimon, and, because a Chosen has a high percentage of digital information in their bodies, the virus began to destroy the bodies of the Chosen and the Digimon. It was called the Second Black Death, of BD-2. Thousands of Chosen were infected, hundreds died within the first two years: Koushiro, Takeru, Daisuke, Miyako, Ken, Iori, Steve, Lou…all dead…._

_            Before he died, Koushiro developed a possible cure, called the X-Antibody, and unleashed it onto the Digital World. However, it was only compatible with a few Chosen, Taichi, Hikari, Yamato,  Jyou, Mimi, Michael, Dingo and Yuri were among those modified. They were completely cured of the virus, and their digimon became mutated, gaining different appearances and stronger powers._

_            But Tatum, Sam and I were infected, and the X-Antibody didn't help us at all. We moved to the digital city, New Havenwood, and stayed with the other dying Chosen. Tatum and Sam both began to lose their fingers and toes, but I lost both of my legs. They just vanished before my eyes... We stayed there until the Church of the Digitalatri arrived there. They promised us that if we joined them, they could cure us. I was skeptical, but Tatum and Sam joined them. Mimi and Michael promised us that they would help us when they could, but Tatum and Sam always felt like they had abandoned us. I guess that's why they joined with Digitalatri._

_            I didn't join them, but I wanted to follow them. That's when I met up with Noriko Kawada of the Odaiba Chosen. She was infected with the BD-2 Virus too, but her infection wasn't as severe. Her teammates: Hiroshi Shibya, Keiko Shingu and Takashi Yuuske, all infected, joined with Digitalatri. We followed them to their main temple, when we discovered that their High Priestess, Chihi Miayag, gave them weird powers which made their partners evolve into former enemies of the Chosen: the Dark Masters, Archnemon, Mummymon and Skull Satanmon. To prove their loyalty to their Digital God, Miayag made them kill me and Noriko. They would have done it if Taichi hadn't of saved us._

_            Things only got worse from then. It was hard for us to believe, but Digitalatri seemed to be the least of our worries, the Demon Lords were here. First was Karetu, the Demon Hunter. He looked just like the deceased Takeru. He attacked another Infected Chosen named Lynna Jeffry. Somehow, during that fight, Lynna's Gizamon was able to evolve to his Adult form, something that should be impossible, since Infected Digimon are not able to evolve. Shiokuro, the Demon Vizor, who looked like Koushiro, was next. He attack Anna Danika, and her Penmon evolved to Unimon. The Demon Princess Amikyo, who looked like Miyako, and the Demon Watcher, Enk, who looked like Ken, attacked Iduia Ramiro, and her Kokuwamon evolved to Guardromon. Keeya Genet, Catherine Rupert, Sora Takenouchi, and myself, all Infected Chosen, were attacked and our digimon were able to evolve as well. _

_            Yuri Rutskoy wanted our help to defend a city called Nightsun from Digitalatri. They claimed that it was an ancient city called Cer. During that fight, we met the last three Demon Lords, the Demon General, Seiduka, who looked like Daisuke, Asro, the Demon Queen, who looked like Sora, and the Demon King, Cahiti, who looked like Taichi. They attacked the X-Chosen, and we…that is, me and the other young women… used that strange energy that allowed our Child-level digimon to evolve, on Taichi and the others. Cahiti used a strange device he called the Soul Catcher, to steal some of that energy. The rest of that energy merged with the X-Chosen, and their digimon were able to reach the Fully Evolved level. All of us except for Sora and Catherine. The Demon Lords captured them to steal the energy they failed to give them._

_            Miayag was searching for two mysterious objects in the city. They were hidden behind a special barrier that, as she said, only those with the…"Blood of Yuushi," could cross. Only she and Taichi were able to enter. Miayag took the Staff of Yuushi, but Taichi stole the Machina Codex. From that book, we learned that there was a terrible war in the past of the Digital World, and the digimon called the First Chosen to help them. They defeated their enemies and started an empire, the capital was the Holy Island in the center of the Digital World. They were led by the mysterious Yuushi, but the other eight each had a control over a specific element. We determined that me and the other young women had powers like them: Sora had Fire, Catherine had Light, Lynna had Water, Anna had Wind, Noriko had Darkness, Iduia had Metal, Keeya had Forest, and I had Earth. _

_            Our problems only got worse. The Chosen Council, a group of Chosen who represent the different areas of the Digital World, decided that it would be safer to quarantine the Infected Children. Victor von Schmidt and Madelyne Osborn, the two leaders of the Council, teamed up with the Demon Lords and they began to classify and mark all Infected Chosen according to their Chosen team and level of infection. Since Iduia and I were at an infection level of 1, we were apprehended by the Chosen Council. I am scared as to where they are taking us, but I know Mimi, Michael, Taichi and the others will save us. I know they will…._

--

_Digimon: Apocalypse_

_The Book of Famine_

_Chapter 1:_

--

            The Digital World was once a place of life and hope, a world where the most fantastic and wondrous creatures lived. Later, these creatures were partnered with humans, and the Earth was introduced to this place of happiness and joy. Even though evil existed there, the forces of life still triumphant. . Now, that time seemed so far and distant, an alien notion to this time of fear and hate.

            Shortly after Chosen Council Executive Order #045, the classification of all Infected Children and relocation of all Chosen with an infection level of 1, the Digital World suddenly and mysteriously stopped, that is, all biological and planetary functions ceased. In the South, the waves of the roaring ocean died, in the West, the crops withered and perished, in the East, the wind crawled to a stop, while the North became covered with darkness.

            Cahiti, the Demon King, was seated within a large lounge chair in one of the rooms in the desert temple that was currently serving as their base. Seated across his lap was the Demon Queen, Asro. With them was their somewhat suspicious new partner, the leader of the Chosen Council, Victor Von Schmidt. Their eyes were all focused on the television monitor, which was displaying the broadcast of the Digital World's new station, which was covering the current crisis in the Digital World.

            "Are you sure this is safe?" Schmidt asked, "I mean, you're not causing serious harm here, right?"

            "Of course not," Cahiti grinned beneath the shadows of his hood, "We can reverse these changes at any time we wish, but as we discussed, it is necessary to gain the Chosen's support for your extermination order. My partners will appear before the citizens of the towns you wish to turn into extermination centers, and they will use their powers to prove that the Infected Chosen are causing this crisis to this world. Then, you will have their support."

            Schmidt sighed deeply and crossed his arms. "You still haven't told me what you hope to get out of all of this."

            "And I told you already, if you question our help, then it will be withdrawn. All you need to know is that we will rule this world together!"

            Schmidt nodded. "Yeah, all right…"

            Asro chuckled as she lightly fingered Cahiti's shirt. Schmidt rolled his eyes. "Do you have to do that now?"

            The Demon Queen shot him an evil glance that he could not see beneath her hood. Cahiti chuckled. "Why don't we see how your assistant is doing?"

            Asro leapt from his lap as the Demon King exited the room, followed closely by Schmidt. They traveled down a long corridor before arriving at a dungeon-like area, where their two prisoners, Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert, along with their digimon partners, were confined behind a set of metal bars and grey concrete. Madelyne Osborn of the Chosen Council was just exiting the room as they approached.

            "Oh, you're finished?" Schmidt asked.

            Osborn nodded. "Yeah." She mentioned to the room, "You can see for yourselves."

            Schmidt slowly entered the room, followed by the two Demon Lords. Sora and Catherine stared at them with rage and hate in their eyes. Sora instinctively jumped to her feet, but she momentarily forgot that her BD-2 infection had eaten away at her left foot. She was off-balance and crashed to the floor.

            "Sora!" Catherine shouted. She ran over and supported her weight as she rose to her right foot.

            The redhead stared at Schmidt. "What the hell is the Chosen Council doing with them?" she asked, mentioning to the Demon Lords.

            "We're partners, at the moment," he explained, "Now, I understand that my assistant has given you your new numbers…"

            Catherine frowned. "I will not be referred to as a number!"

            "What you want isn't for debate," he spat, "What is your number?"

            Neither she nor Sora answered. Schmidt sighed and mentioned to Osborn, who handed him a piece of paper. "Now…Takenouchi, Sora, Odaiba Chosen, Number JO223. Rupert, Catherine, Paris Chosen, Number FP312." He smiled slightly, "You're lucky, if either of you had an Infection level of 1, you would be sent to one of our Relocation Centers right now."

            "You're not fooling us!" Sora sneered.

            "Such a temper," Cahiti chuckled, "You truly are the Daughter of Fire..." He turned to Schmidt, "Why don't you check up on how our forces are doing? Asro and I have some business with Miss Takenouchi and Miss Rupert here."

            The Chosen Council leader nodded slightly and he and Osborn exited. Asro made certain to lock the door behind them. The Demon King removed his hood, revealing the face of Taichi Yagami.

            "That's better. Now…" he rubbed his hands together as he smiled at the young women, "Why don't we finally get started…?"

            "What do you want?" Sora demanded.

            He pointed at her chest. "What?" she asked, "You're planning on raping me or something?"

            "No, no, no," he said, "Nothing like that. No, what I want from you is your power, the energy you and the other Daughters of the First displayed."

            "You keep calling uz that," Catherine said, "What does it mean?"

            He gave them a curious glance. "You honestly have no idea, do you?"

            "What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked.

            "You are descended from the First Chosen." He pointed at Sora. "You are descended from Hidokoro and have the power of Fire..." He turned to Catherine, "And you are descended from Lucien and have the power of Light."

            "Hidokoro…?" Sora gasped. She glanced over to Catherine, "Lucien?"

            The French woman nodded. "_Oui…._"

            "Now," Cahiti said, "Noriko Kawada of Darkness, Lynna Jeffry of Water, Anna Danika of Wind, Maria Silvano of Earth, Iduia Ramiro of Metal and Keeya Genet of Forest have already given me their powers…."

            "You stole them you mean," Sora glared.

            Cahiti shrugged. "How ever you want to say it, but the point is the same. I only need your energies to make my vision come true. Now give me your powers, give me the power of Fire and Light."

            Sora glared at him. "No."

            Catherine nodded in agreement. "We will not give you anyt'ing!"

            Cahiti sighed deeply and rubbed his hands. "Very well. I am offering you the chance to surrender them, I will give you time to think it over."

            The young women and their partners stared at him as he exited the cell, closing the door behind him. Piyomon shivered. "He gives me the creeps."

            "You and me both," Floramon responded.

111

            The Chosen Council had commandeered several cities and transformed them into Relocation Centers: Zeradza in the north, Ausata in the south, and New Havenwood to the west. These cities were filled with Infected Chosen of Level 1, the greatest and most infective level. Iduia and Maria, having been taken prisoner by the Council and their partners, the Demon Lords, were separated shortly after arriving in the Digital World. Maria had been sent to Zeradza, while Iduia was sent to Ausata. Anna had been marked as Level 1, and was sent to Zeradza, but managed to escape with Yuri seconds before Maria arrived.

            The two Russian Chosen were now running for their lives through the southern portions of the Northern Continent, and had actually crossed into the Eastern Continent. Yuri and Kokuwamon X were in the lead, while Anna and her Penmon were trailing behind. Because the Russian woman had lost her eyes due to BD-2, she relied on her partner to guide her, but he could not see everything; while running, she tripped over a small root from a nearby tree. She instantly lost her balance and smashed into the ground.

            "Anna!" Penmon cried.

            Yuri and Kokuwamon X ran to her. "Anna, it's me," he said, lightly grabbing her hand.

            "Yuri," she said, "Just leave me here…."

            "What?" he gasped.

            "They're after me," she said, "Besides, what good am I? I don't know this area, without someone leading me, I'm completely lost." She lightly touched the bandage that was wrapped around her face.

            "Stop that!" Yuri shouted, "I'm not leaving you here, no matter what." He pulled her to her feet, "Now come on, if they went to all that trouble to put you in that place, then they're sure to come after you. We've got to keep moving."

            She reluctantly agreed and continued to follow him.

As they marched through the thick forests, they knew they were being followed, but they thought they were doing a fair job of covering their path. They were not aware that no matter how good a job they did of covering their tracks, their predators would have found them.

            Karetu, the Demon Hunter, paused momentarily to examine a small scratch on one of the tree trunks littering the forest. "They went this way?"

            "You sure?" Samuel Sterns of the Chosen Council asked.

            "Let me tell ya something," he said, "If you wanna be a good hunter, ya got ta learn to examine your surroundins better." He mentioned to the tree, "This scratch is too high to have been made by one of the digimon in this forest. It had ta come from Danika or Rutskoy."

            Sterns nodded. "I gotcha."

            "Good," Karetu said, walking further into the forest, "Let's get movin'…"

111

            Noriko and Yamato charged into the hospital room. "I'm sorry," the blond man said, "We got here as soon as we… heard…" He trailed off when he noticed the Yagami family standing around the form of the unconscious Mrs. Yagami, who was lying in a hospital bed, eyes closed, and more then a dozen sensors attached to her body.

            Taichi turned to him and nodded slightly."Hey…"

            The other two Yagamis turned and greeted their visitors. Yamato bowed. "Hello, Mr. Yagami."

            Taichi and Hikari's father gave a forced smile. The worry was clearly visible on his face, his eyes were heavy and sunken and his skin seemed to be sagging. "Hi, Yamato."

            The blond man mentioned to his guest. "This is Noriko Kawada."

            "Yes," he said, "Taichi told me you were coming…"

            The young woman bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for what happened. I...I…."

            Mr. Yagami nodded. "Thank you."

            There was a knock on the door and an elderly man entered. "Hello, I am Doctor Kazuyka.  You must be the Yagamis?"

            "I am Susumu Yagami," Mr. Yagami answered, "How is she?"

            The doctor sighed. "Well, we are still awaiting the test results from the MRI, but it is apparent that she is in a coma due to a blow to her head."

            "Is there any chance for serious damage?" Mr. Yagami asked.

            "With any brain injury, there is always the chance for permanent damage, but we'll have to wait for the test results."

            "When we she wake up?" Hikari asked.

            Dr. Kazuyka sighed deeply. "It is really hard to say at this point. It could be a few days, or….it could be longer…."

            Hikari gasped loudly and Taichi embraced her.

            Dr. Kazuyka smiled. "But, the best thing we can do right now is stay positive." He glanced down at the clipboard he was carrying. "Um, Mr. Yagami, I hate to pull you away from this, but there's a few questions we need to ask you…"

            His face paled even more. "W…what kind of questions?"

            "Nothing serious, we just need to update our files…"

            He nodded and exited the room. Taichi and Hikari turned to their mother, lying perfectly still in the hospital bed. Yamato placed a hand on Taichi's shoulder. "I'm sorry man…"

            Noriko stared at Mrs. Yagami placed a hand over her mouth. "I…if I didn't leave her there…."

            "What?" Taichi asked.

            "I took Maria out of the apartment, but….but I didn't think that she would…"

            Hikari smiled and hugged her. "Oh Noriko, don't blame yourself." Her smile faded, "It's Miayag, It's her fault!"

            The others blinked in surprise. "Hikari?" Taichi asked.

            "It was her partner," the young woman responded, "She did this to my mother, and she just left, she didn't even stay to see if she was all right! Oh, how could I have been so blind? I thought she was a savior, but she's worse then anyone we've fought before!"

            Her older brother walked over and hugged her. "Easy, Hikari, easy…you're starting to sound like me and Yamato…"

            The blond man gave him a curious glance. "Hey, what do you mean me and _Yamato?_"

            "Excuse me, Hikari?"  
            The small group turned their attention to the doorway, where a young man was standing. He had a crew cut of light brown hair and was dressed in a black business suit. Hikari's face turned to a smile as she ran over to him. "Mitsuo, you didn't have to come…"

"That's her boyfriend," Taichi whispered to Noriko and Yamato.

Hikari turned to the others. "Um, this is Mitsuo. Mitsuo, this is Noriko Kawada, Yamato Ishida, and you know Taichi."

            Her brother nodded slightly. Mitsuo nodded. "I'm really sorry about this. How is she?"

            As Taichi began to explain, Noriko noticed that Hikari's hand slipped into Mitsuo's hand and squeezed tightly. The young women could tell by the expression on the younger Yagami's face how much she truly cared for this young man, it could even be love.

            She sighed and turned away, her mind filling her with memories…memories that stretched back nearly ten years ago…

            _Twelve--year-old Noriko stood nervously side-by-side with Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi, and more then a dozen other children of similar age. At their side were their digimon partners, having received them three years ago. None of the pre-teens had yet been able to evolve any of their partners, so they came to the Odaiba Chosen for help. They were all wary of approaching them, as they were all former Dark Seed children, how could the Odaiba Chosen even think of helping them after what they did?_

_            Each of the pre-teens straightened to attention as the Chosen Children, now teenagers, entered the soccer field that was being used for this meeting. Koushiro spoke first. "Okay, um, I'm not sure how to begin, so I think I'll just get to the reason why we're here. You came to us for help in evolving your partners. We discussed it, and we decided that in addition to helping your partners evolve, we will also teach you how to be Chosen and help protect and defend this world and the Digital World."_

_            "That's the real reason we were following you for the past few weeks," Ken smiled slightly, "Sorry if we kind of freaked you out."_

_            Koushiro continued, "We were watching you to see your individual strengths and weaknesses, to better determine what role you should be trained for, so to speak." He produced a stack of paper and began to read it aloud. "Hiroshi Shibya, Noriko Kawada, you will both be going with Taichi and Daisuke for leadership training, Keiko…."_

_            Noriko's mind trailed off as she turned to Hiroshi with a smile on her face. The pre-teen was looking at Keiko, however, who had just been announce would be training with Sora and Miayko._

_            She could still remember the training that Taichi and Daisuke put them through. It was a grueling couple of months, but she failed to notice it, all that mattered to her was the time she was spending with Hiroshi. She thought their time together brought them closer together, and Noriko wanted their relationship to be deeper then that._

_            She planned to tell him on the last day of their training. She waited and waited throughout the school day, and once the final bell rang, she ran to his locker, but found that he was not there. She searched the entire school before locating him beneath the stadium bleachers. She giggled and was about to run to him, but stopped short when she noticed that Keiko was standing next to him…they were doing more then standing together….they were actually kissing._

_            Noriko stood in shock for a moment before slowly turning around and walking back into the school building. She had waited too long to tell him how she felt, and he developed feeling for Keiko instead. She kept it hidden, and over time it diminished, but she never did forget her first crush…the first-love that never happened…_

            Noriko frowned at her memory, but tried to hide it as she turned her attention back to the hospital room. Yamato and Taichi were talking, while Hikari and Mitsuo were off to the corner.

            "I almost forget to tell you," Yamato said, "But Mina called us. She found something in the Digital World that she thinks we should look at." He glanced to the unconscious form of Yuuko Yagami, "But I can take care of this…"

            "No," he said, shaking his head, "I'm going to do everything possible to take that damn false prophet off of her perch!"

"Not to mention those Demon Lords," Yamato said, shaking his head, "I'd like to rip that Seiduka's head off of his shoulders! No matter what, we'll get Sora and Catherine out of there!"

Noriko's heart slowly slunk into her stomach. "Sora and Catherine…?"

"Dmn it!" Taichi said. He slammed her left fist into his right palm with such force that it caused Hikari and Mitsu to jump.

            "What's wrong?" Hikari asked.

            "Me and Yamato have to check on something in the Digital World," he explained, "But you don't have to…"

            She shook her head. "I'm going, I have to."

            "Going where?" Mitsuo asked. He glanced at Taichi and Yamato, then frowned. "This has something to do with that Digital World thing, right?"

            Hikari nodded and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, and thank you for understanding."

            He was going to reply that she never gave him a chance to understand, but thought better of it.

            "We don't have to leave right away," he said, "I'll call Mina and let her know." He looked over at Noriko, "Coming?"

            "Yeah," she said, "Yeah, I'm…right behind you…."

111

            Chihi Miayag, the High Priestess of the Church of the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Digitalatri, was even overwhelmed by the sight before her, the Temple of the First Chosen, situated on the Holy Island. It was a massive cube-shaped building, with a tall pointed tower in the center, and more then a dozen similar, smaller steeples attached around the main one. The corners were adorned with angel-shaped statues, and there were three larger statues resting on a small platform over the main entrance, statues of: Seraphymon, Ophanimon and Cherubimon.

            "Amazing," she said, "Simply amazing…" She turned to her General. "Where there any complications?"

            He shook his head. Piedmon answered for him. "None. We simply sailed here and climbed the mountain side.

            She nodded. "Excellent." She walked the front door, double doors of elegant, strong, thick wood, carved with images of angels. She placed her hand on the thick metal handles and attempted to pull, only to find that the doors were sealed perfectly.

            "Just as I thought," she said, "It has been sealed."

            "Can you open it?" Witchmon asked.

She held up the Machina Codex, "This holy book gives us the power to do so." She flipped open the book and searched through the pages until she found what she had been searching for. She placed her hand on the door and read from the book, "_I hold the blood of Yuushi, I command you to open this door and allow us to enter the temple that belongs to us, allow us to enter the Temple of the First Chosen."_

            The door glowed for a moment before a loud noise was heard, like a metal lock being turned. The twin doors creaked for a moment before slowly opening. Miayag grinned as she pulled the doors open with all of her might. She stepped through the entrance and into a hall that stretched into the distance. The walls were covered with elegant designs of angels and other holy digimon.

            Miayag turned to her followers. "Come, our destiny awaits!"

111

            Noriko used the remote to continue to rapidly change the channels, desperately trying to keep her attention away from Yamato, who was in his room, Instant Messaging Mina via his desktop computer to her laptop. However, the programs being broadcast on the television were not distracting enough, as she kept casting glances to his bed room.

            "Something bothering you?" her Plotmon asked.

            "Nothing," she said.

            "I know something's wrong…"

            "Nothing's wrong!" she snapped.

            The puppy-dog digimon blinked for a moment, then a smile slowly crossed her face. "You're thinking about Yamato again, aren't you?"

            She nearly dropped the remote. "W…what are you talking about?"

            Her partner leapt onto the couch. "I know that you're in love with Yamato."

            "W…I…I don't have any idea what you're talking about?"

            She stared at her. "Come on, we're partners, we're connected, remember? The feeling I'm getting from you is the same feeling you were giving off when you had a crush on Hiroshi."

            She fidgeted nervously. "Okay, Okay, so maybe I do have feelings for him."

            "Then why don't you tell him?"

            "You heard what he said in the hospital! He's focused on rescuing Sora and Catherine right now." She frowned, "I mean, look at them compared to me, Sora's got gigantic boobs, and even without hair, Catherine's still a thousand times better looking them me."

            "Oh come on, you're too hard on yourself," Plotmon said, "There's more to a person then just their looks, I thought you knew that."

            She sighed. "Yeah, well, that's just what parents tell their ugly kids."

            "Just tell him…"

            She turned to her. "You know, no offense, but what do you know about romantic relationships? I mean, digimon don't…you know…"

            "Come on," her partner said, "You can say it, I think we're all mature enough…"

            Noriko nodded, "Digimon don't…have sex…."

            Plotmon started to giggle. "Heh heh heh…"

            Noriko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks…"

            "Oh come on," Plotmon said, "I'm just trying to make you laugh…"

            "Well I don't feel like laughing right now."

            "Look, I think you just need to tell him. And if you're too scared, just show him, okay?"

            She thoughtfully tapped her chin. "Hmm…." She ran into the small room where she was staying and grabbed her purse. She to the door and threw her shoes on. "Yamato!" she shouted, "I'm going out for a few minutes!"  

111

            It was about an hour before Noriko returned to Yamato's apartment, and by that time, he was ready to head into the Digital World. "Just keep your eyes on the others….especially Lynna and Dingo. Just…keep them away from the alcohol, I don't think they really know how to stop."

            She smiled slightly. "You know, I remember you from the other day…"

            He waved his hand. "We…don't need to talk about that right now."

            She chuckled. Yamato placed a hand on her shoulder. Her knees nearly gave way from that touch.

            "Keep your eye on Mr. Yagami too," he said, "Just…check in on him, okay?"

            Despite what she was feeling, she managed to nod.

            "All right, I don't know when we'll be back. Especially with the whole Digital World just shutting down, we might be a while."

            She took a deep breath. "Um, before you go, there's something I want to give you…"

            He blinked. "Give me?"

            She nodded and handed him a small box which was wrapped in a light blue paper. "What's this?" he asked.

            She knew she was blushing, and tried to force herself to stop, but knew that it was pointless, so she continued speaking. "It's just something for…you know, letting me stay here and for watching out for me…and…well…you know…"

            The blond man was speechless as he tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a silver medallion in the shape of a growling wolf. "Wow…"

            "That looks really expensive," Gabumon X said, staring at it.

            "It…it wasn't…."

            Yamato shook his head. "I can't accept this. I mean, I helped you because, well, you know…I wanted to…"

            "Please," she said, "Just…you know…think of me whenever you wear it…"

            Yamato began to blush as he slid it over his neck. "Thank you."

            The two young adults stared at each other in silence for a full five minutes before Gabumon X lightly pulled on Yamato's pant leg. "Taichi and the others are waiting…."

            The blond man blinked a few times. "Oh…uh…right…Um, thank you for the gift, and…you know…"

            "Sure," she nodded, "Just…be careful…"

            "I will," he replied. He gave a final smile before exiting. Gabumon X gave his farewell and left as well.

            Noriko sighed deeply and turned to her partner, who was grinning wildly. "What the hell is your problem?"

            Plotmon shook her head. "Nothing!"

111

            Schmidt and Osborn entered the inner sanctum of the Demon Lords. The Security General of the Chosen Council entered with his hands behind his back, while his chief assistant was carrying a thick manila folder.  Four of the chairs were empty, as the Demon Hunter Karetu and his Beelzebubmon partner, the Demon Vizer Shiokuro and his Barbamon partner, the Demon Princess Amikyo and her Leviamon partner, and the Demon Watcher Enk and his Belphamon partner were out with the Chosen Council, leaving only the Demon General Seiduka and his Demon partner, the Demon Queen Asro and her Lilithmon partner and the Demon King Cahiti and his Lucemon partner.

            "Excuse me," Schmidt said.

            "Yes," Cahiti asked, "What is it?"

            "As per our agreement, you wanted all the information we had on the Digitalatri." He nodded at Osborn, who handed the Taichi-double the manila folder.

            He nodded. "Thank you."

            The two Chosen Council members nodded and exited the room.

            "We've got the info on those religious mistakes?" Seiduka asked.

            "Yes," Cahiti said, "But for the moment I think it would be better if we focused on Takenouchi and Rupert."

            "We've got to get them to give up their energies, right?" Lucemon asked.

            "Yes, Cahiti said, "And I think I have the perfect plan in mind. They resist because they have hope. We must break their spirits."

            "How?" Demon asked.

            "We will bring them the heads of the X-Chosen."

            "Destruction and death?" Seiduka asked, "Finally?"

            The Demon King nodded. "Yes. Only their deaths will do."

            "Oh please, Lord Cahiti," Asro said, crossing her legs in her small seat, "Let me handle this."

            He nodded. "Go and don't fail. We believe they are in the city of Namu, visiting Mina there."

            Asro licked her lips. "This will be fun." She mentioned to her partner, "Come Lilithmon."

            Her digimon partner gave a similar smile as she stood behind her partner. Both females vanished in a burst of red light.

111

            The X-Chosen arrived in the Digital World an hour later in the Digital city of Namu, although it was hard for them to believe it was the same city. Where once there stood hundreds, if not, thousands of Infected Chosen, now the streets were all but deserted. "What the hell happened here?" Yamato asked.

            "The Chosen Council's Execute Order #045. They moved all of the Chosen in this city to one of their Relocation Centers."

            The X-Chosen turned around and saw Mina and her Candmon standing in the doorway to a decrepit building. "Hey, Mina," Taichi said, "What's up?"

            She bowed in respect. "Good afternoon. I have something I think you should see, please follow me."

            They began to file behind her, and Hikari noticed that beneath her long flowing braid was a strange mark on the back of her neck. "Oh no," she gasped, running over to her, "Mina, they marked you too?"

            She nodded. "They marked all of us, every Chosen infected with BD-2." She sighed deeply, "I just feel so….I don't feel like Mina Ashiawayra, I feel like #DI397. I don't feel like a human being any more, I just feel like a number."

            "You're more then a number," she said, "You know that!"

            "Damn it," Taichi swore, clenching his fists, "Once we get rid of Digitalatri and the Demon Lords, that Council's going down!"

            "The Council's working _with_ the Demon Lords," Yamato growled, "They sold us out, and I want to know why."

            "And now the Digital World is dying," Jyou sighed, "The Southern Ocean is moving anymore, all the plants in the West are dead, there's no wind in the East and the North looks like is permanent night."

            "You know," Gomamon X said, "Has anyone else noticed how quickly this happened? I mean, right after the Council started rounding up Infected Chosen."

            "Yeah, that is weird," Michael said, "But do we really think the Council had something to do with that?"

            "I bet it's their partners," Yamato sneered, "Seiduka and the others…."

            Mimi turned to him, but instead of focusing on his face, she saw the medallion hanging around his neck. "Where did you get that?"

            He grabbed it and lightly rubbed it. "This?"

            "Wow, that looks beautiful," Palmon X said.

            "Where did you get that from?" Hikari asked.

            Yamato was stammering for an explanation, so Gabumon X answered for him. "Noriko gave it to him."

            "Noriko?" Taichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

            "Yes," he said, blushing slightly, "So what?"

            He raised his hands. "Hey, I was just asking…"

            Mina chuckled. "Ah, it is good to hear such life in this city…" her smile faded, "If it is only heard by us…."

            Hikari placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mina…"

            The Indian woman smiled as they arrived at her home in the Digital World. "But, we will overcome this, no matter what. If from your optimism and kindness, if nothing else. Please, come inside."

            "Where is everyone else?" Yamato asked.

            The Indian woman sighed. "They have been taken by the Council, to be marked and perhaps sent to a relocation center."

            "I'm sorry."

            She brought them into her home and led them through the halls until they arrived at a large room containing a multitude of artifacts of all shapes and sizes, statues and objects, paintings and books. She mentioned to a large tablet on the table. "Please, this is what I would like you to see."

            The table was a large, pool-table size, and the tablet was a little under half that size. It was covered with writing of odd symbols and characters. The upper portion was whole, but the bottom half was crumbling to dust. "What exactly is this?" Agumon X asked.

            "Well," Mina explained, "Keeya described the object on the Demon King's arm and it sounded somewhat familiar to me, so I examined some of the legends I have collected concerning the Digital World and I believe I found an answer in this tablet…."

Her Candmon interrupted, "It was found on the beach of the Western Continent. We think it even come from the Center Island."

            "Where the First Chosen were, right?" Mimi asked.

            "According to the Machina Codex," Taichi mumbled.

            "Oh yes," Mina nodded. "Yamato told me what had happened. I am sorry for your mother. How is she doing?"

            "Okay for now," Hikari smiled slightly.

            "I am sure she will be fine," Mina smiled. She turned her attention back to the tablet. "As I was saying, this tablet describes a device called the 'Soul Catcher,' which was used by a Murmixmon, who was the King of Ceria. He used it to steal the energy from the First Chosen, which made them easier to conquer."

            "And just so I understand," Michael said, "Ceria was the capital of Cer, which was Nightsun, the place where we went to help Yuri, right?"

            "Yeah," Taichi said, "Miayag conquered the whole city just to get the Machina Codex and that Staff of Yuushi."

            "This tablet also mentions that Staff," Mina said. She ran her finger along the symbols, "Here, _To each of the Chosen, a weapon of might and bravery was given to them, A Katana of Fire for Hidokoro, Gauntlets of Water for Kendra, a Claymore of Wind for Svetlana, a Spear of Earth for Montenagro, a Lance of Darkness for Daiyu, an Shotgun of Light for Zorion, a Sheild of Metal for Glaucio, and a Bow of Forest for Abugu, and for Yuushi, the mightiest and bravest, the ultimate Staff was given, a weapon of power and energy, comprising the power of all other weapons. While the weapons of the other Chosen contained powers over the structure of the Digital World, Yuushi's Staff held abilities far above the others, all mountains crumbled at his might, the earth shook and the heavens trembled…"_

            "Great," Jyou sighed, "And this is what Miayag has?"

            "We've got to level the playing field somehow," Betamon X said.

            "We need to get our hands on some of those other weapons," Yamato said, "Where are they?"

            Mina shook her head. "The passage I just read you was copied word for word from the Machina Codex, the tablet says so, but this tablet was meant to be a…list of sorts, for where certain artifacts were hidden." She mentioned to the destroyed section of the tablet, "As you can see, most of the text is missing, so we don't know where most of the weapons are, but the location of Hidokoro's Katana of Fire and Lucien's Shotguns of Light are recorded here."

            "Really?" Hikari asked, "Can you tell us where?"

            Mina smiled broadly. "I can do better then that, I can take you to them."

            "You can?" Plotmon X asked.

            Mina's Candmon smiled. "We kinda figured you were going to ask for them, so we went and got them."

            "You did?" Mimi gasped.

            "Yes," Mina smiled, "We discovered the Katana hidden in the volcanic region of the Western Continent and the Guns in the caverns of the Southern Continent."

            "Cool," Taichi grinned, "So, they're here?"

            "You bet," Candmon said.

            Mina mentioned to the door. "Please follow me."

            The Indian woman walked over to another table, this one containing two objects wrapped tightly in white tissue-like paper. She gently placed her hands on the objects. "Here, these are the weapons."

            Mina and her Candmon slowly removed the paper to reveal the ancient items. The Katana of Hidokoro was a katana sword with an orange blade and red flames adoring the hilt. The Shotguns of Lucien resembled a hand-gun sized double-barreled shotgun of bright white color.

            "Wow," Taichi said. He reached for the sword and lifted it in his hand. He executed a downward thrust with the blade, causing the other X-Chosen to jump back, covering their heads with their arms.

            "Are you sure it's a good idea for Taichi to get that?" Mimi asked.

            "Oh calm down," he said, swinging the weapon again, "It's just going to take me a little bit to get use to it…"

            "What about the other one?" Jyou asked.

            The other X-Chosen glanced at each other, but it was Hikari who suggested what they were thinking. "Yamato gets the guns."

            "Me?" the blond man asked, "Why do I get them?"

            "Because you just do," she said.

            "I think Hikari's right," Mimi said, "You and Taichi would look after them and use them to kick those Demon Lords' butts!"

            Yamato only shrugged and lifted the weapon in his hands. He glanced over at Taichi. "But what do they actually do?"

            "Remember what Miayag did with that staff?" Agumon X asked, "She merged her digivice with it?"

            Taichi and Yamato glanced at each other, then reached for the X-modified digivices. They held them over their weapons, and after a bright flash of light, the digivices and the weapons merged together. The Katana of Hidokoro looked similar, except the digivice screen, along with the buttons, had appeared on the sword's hilt, while Yamato's digivice had become attached to the end of the barrel of the Shotguns of Lucien.

            "All right," Michael said, grinning, "Now we're talking."

            "We just need to figure out how to use them," Yamato said.

            "But what now?" Palmon X asked.

            Taichi sighed. "Now we go topple some Relocation Centers

            "Maria and Iduia?" Mimi asked, hopefully.

            "That's right," Taichi nodded.

            "What about Catherine and Sora?" Yamato asked.

            The busy-haired young man sighed deeply. "There's not much we can do about that until we know where they are."

            "But, we don't know where Iduia and Maria are either," Jyou pointed out.

            "I know," Taichi said, "But we do know that Zeradza and Ausata have been commandeered, so we should just start there."

            "I guess if that's the best idea we've got…"

            The young man nodded, then turned to Mina. "I think you should head to Tokyo, tell Noriko we sent you."

            She nodded. "Yes, thank you. Perhaps I shall do that."

            The X-Chosen exited house but stopped short when a burst of red light suddenly exploded a few feet in front of them, revealing two of the infamous Demon Lords. The X-Chosen gasped loudly, but only Taichi was able to speak. "Asro," he sneered.

            "And Lilithmon," Agumon X said.

            The Sora-double chuckled and ran a hand through her long red hair. "You remembered me? Well, then again, I didn't really expect you to forget me."

            Hikari turned to Mina. "Use the Digi-port in the city to get to Earth. Go quick."

            The Indian woman nodded. "Good luck." She and her Candmon ran from the battlefield and vanished into the abandoned city.

            "What do you want?" Yamato asked, turning his attention back to Asro.

            The Demon Queen pointed her finger at them. "I have been order by Lord Cahiti to destroy you and bring him your heads."

            "Where's Sora and Catherine?" Taichi shouted.

            Asro shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you, but…" She licked her lips, "If you really want to know…"

            "You're disgusting!" Mimi shouted, "I mean, seriously!"

            "Oh really?" she asked, turning to her, "You're one to talk. I heard _you_ were sleeping around when you were 16."

            Michael stared at her, while his wife stammered out a reply. "Y...yeah, but it was with the man I'm spending the rest of my life with!"

            "Well," she grinned, "You've certainly got the body for it, if you're bored with men, come and give me a call."

            Mimi shivered.

            Asro crossed her arms, but slightly pulled up on them to make her large breasts even bigger. "So, I know this is a stupid question to ask, but you're not going to surrender, are you?"

            "Not a chance," Taichi responded.

            The Demon Queen shrugged. "I didn't think so. Oh well, might as well get this over with…"

            "Wait," Yamato said, "I want to know something."

            "Go ahead, sexy, ask me whatever you want."

            "Seiduka told me that he had the Crest of Wrath, what about you?"

            "You can't figure it out?" she chuckled, "I hold the Crest of Lust."

            "Figures," Mimi muttered.

            "Lust?" Yamato asked, "When did Sora…"

            Asro smirked. "I'm surprised you don't know. It was Christmas of 2002, and it was with you."

            Taichi gave the blond man an angry expression, but Yamato did not realize it. He was too focused on Asro. "Me? What are you talking about?"

            "Your Christmas Concert, Yamato. It was there that you and Sora began your two-year relationship. While she did care for you during those two years, that night she did not love you, but _wanted_ you. She lusted for you, Yamato, stronger then anything she had felt before, and it was enough for the Crest of Lust to be created!" She through open her red cape to reveal that she was wearing a tight fitting black leather mini-skirt, a strapless red shirt, and fish-net stockings that were held by clearly visible garters.

            "Wait a second," Jyou said, "Each of you Demon Lords have a Crest too? And it's a crest that's been corrupted from our original ones?"

            "That's right, hunky," Asro said.

            "But, there are only seven of you," Hikari said, "There's no….no Crest of Darkness?"

            Asro sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Dear Hikari, you have never had an evil thought in your entire life. You're just too perfect. You've got a perfect outlook on life and…" She grinned, "Not mention the cutest body I've ever seen."

            "Stop doing that!" Mimi shouted.

            She shrugged. "Well, let's just get started, shall we?" She nodded at Lilithmon, who strode forward in a sexual waltz. The demon woman's right hand was kept hidden within the folds of her purple robe, but she used her left hand to waved seductively. "Come on, come and get me."

            The X-digimon quickly evolved to their adult states and began to charge forward. Tylomon X, Tailmon X and Togemon X lead the attack, brimming with energy, ready for their next evolution. However, Lilithmon leapt into the air and breathed out a blast of blackness that enveloped the three X-digimon, causing them to instantly write and scream in pain.

            "Phantom Pain," she chuckled.

            "Oh no!" Hikari gasped, "Tailmon!"

            "Greymon!" Taichi shouted, "Watch out for that attack!"

            "Evolve us again," Garurumon X, "Quick!"

            Greymon X, Garurumon X, and Seadramon X quickly evolved to their Fully Evolved forms. Lilithmon leapt into the air once again.

            "She's gonna use that attack again!" Taichi warned, "Get out of the way!"

            Their partners instantly obeyed and scattered. Lilithmon's attack struck the ground and the dark mist dissipated harmlessly. The demon woman did not stop to pause, she twisted her attention to Metalgreymon X and shot towards him, slamming her foot into his stomach.

            Metalgreymon X hissed as a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. Lilithmon chuckled to herself as she pulled her fist out of his stomach. "I'm sorry," she said, "But it did give me a chance to feel that solid chest of yours…"

He roared at her and was about to attack with his metal arm, but she executed a back flip, striking him in the underside of the chin. She laughed, and was about to jab him with her decayed arm when Weregarurumon X appeared behind her and slammed into her head with his fists. She twirled around, smacking him with her leg. He was disoriented, but managed to get a decent punch into her face, knocking her backwards.

            Megaseadramon X took this opportunity to attack by rolling his body into a ball and uncoiling with such force into Lilithmon's back that she arched in pain. He batted his head into her back, then jabbed her with his horn, deep into her back.

            "Nice job," Michael grinned.

            Lilithmon's began to twitch, and, remarkably impossible, she twisted her head completely around. The serpent was in shock and she spewed out her Phantom Pain once more, effectively enveloping the water digimon. He screamed in pain and fell lifelessly to the ground.

            "Megaseadramon!" Michael shouted.

            Jyou, who was closer to the group of fallen digimon, could see the serpent twitching slightly, as was Tylomon X, Togemon X and Tailmon X. "Michael, he's still alive!"

            "Of course," Asro chuckled, "Lilithmon's Phantom Pain attack only curses her opponents, making them unable to fight," Her smile turned to a wicked smirked, "And you haven't seen her greatest power…"

            The demon woman stood still while Metalgreymon X and Weregarurumon X jumped to either side of her. She glanced from side to side, humming a silent song in her mind, ending the final note on the large wolf. She shot at him, slamming her fist into his jaw. He stumbled backwards, but still managed to scratch her on her left hand with his own formidable claws. He attacked with the claws on his other hand, striking her face.

She jumped backwards, rubbing her injured jaw. She could sense Metalgreymon X sneak up behind her, and ducked just in time to avoid being slammed in the back of her head with his metal arm. She rolled out of the way, and used her arms to push herself into the air, where she attacked again by spinning her feet into Metalgreymon X's head.

            "Come on," Hikari said, darting her attention from her injured Tailmon X, to her brother's digimon, "Come on…"

            While Metalgreymon X and Lilithmon continued to battle, Weregarurumon X snuck around to attack her from behind, but she once again realized the wolf was coming. She darted out of the way at the right time, and the wolf's Kaiser Nail attack managed to hit the dinosaur in the chest.

            "Damn it!" Yamato swore, pulling at his hair.

            Asro yawned, obviously extremely bored. "Let's get this over with, all right?"

            Lilithmon grinned maliciously. "Finally." She used her left hand to grab her robes and pull them aside, revealing her right arm. It was decayed, cracking and covered with gold webs of melting flesh, and long, webbed claws for hands.

            Hikari had to turn her attention away, while Mimi placed her hands over her mouth. "I think I'm gonna big sick…"

            "I don't like the look of that arm!" Taichi shouted, "Stay away from it!"

            The demon woman swung the decayed arm in front of her. "Take this, Nazar Nail!" She shot at Metalgreymon X's chest, but he darted out of the way at the last second, and her claws slashed at his organic arm. He screamed in pain as his arm began to gangrene and turn a blackish yellow color.

            "Metlagreymon!" Taichi shouted.

            His dinosaur stumbled backwards and the demon woman turned her attention to Weregarurumon X. He narrowed his eyes, watching her movements carefully. It was his intention to leap out of the way to avoid her attack. However, her speed seemed to have surprisingly increased as she was able to dig her claws deep into his chest. There was an explosion of the same golden light and he roared with pain and aguish. When the light faded, Gabumon X was lying unconscious beneath her feet.

            "Gabumon? Gabumon!"

            Lilithmon smirked triumphantly. She heard a strange clicking noise from behind her and she realized that Taichi's digimon partner had not regressed in any level, but was still at Metalgreymon X, and was about to fire his Giga Destroyer attack. She did not move and allowed the dinosaur to attack. However, once the missilies were close enough, she leapt into the air and grabbed both of them beneath her arms. She used the momentum of the attack to twist around and threw the missiles into Mina's large house, destroying the front section, causing an explosion of wood, smoke and shrapnel.

            The X-Chosen watched in horror as the large house began to teeter over. "Run!" Taichi shouted, even though he knew that it would be no use. The roof of the house simply reached too high, they would not escape in time.

            After yelling the retreat, the bushy-haired young man stopped running was Asro appeared in front of him. Without warning she grabbed the goggles on his head and yanked them off, breaking the elastic.

            "I'm taking these," she chuckled before she and Lilithmon vanished in a burst of red light.

            The house continued to teeter until gravity grabbed hold of it, and pulled it to the ground, burring the X-Chosen and their injured partner within a landslide of wood, concrete and debris. The sound was deafening, but was unheard as the entire city of Namu had been vacated by the Chosen Council.

111

            Inside of the Demon Lords' base, Sora, Catherine, and their partners were dragged from their cell to a room containing only a simple table, and a few chairs. Cahiti and Asro were standing in this room, their arms buried beneath their colored cloaks. All four females stared defiantly at their captors.

            "How are you feeling today, my dears?" Cahiti asked.

            "How the hell do you think?" Sora spat.

            The Demon King chuckled. "Yes…yes…well, this treatment can all stop very easily…"

            "You want our powers, right?" Sora asked, "Well, we're not giving them to you."

            He stared at her, and the redhead could not help but shiver at seeing Taichi's face speaking to her like that. "You're still expecting to be rescued, aren't you?"

            "We are going to be rescued!" Piyomon shouted.

            He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that is no longer true."

            "What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

            Cahiti nodded at Asro. The Demon Queen fished her hands out from beneath her red cloak and threw an object onto the table. The four females stared in horror at the object-a pair of blue goggles, cracked and covered with blood.

            Cahiti nodded slightly. "Taichi Yagami, and his X-Chosen, are dead."

            To be continued…..


	13. The Book of Famine: CHapter 2

_My name is Noriko Kawada, and I used to evil…well, okay, maybe not _evil_ evil, but bad. When I was 9 years old, I was lonely, sickly and depressed, I hated my life, I was jealous of everything and everybody. That's why I turned to Oikawa and the Dark Seed that he promised me. I thought I would be happy with that kind of power, but I only felt worse. Who knows how deep into self-destruction I would have gone if the Chosen Children of Odaiba hadn't of saved me. Of course, while I don't feel lonely and depressed anymore, I do feel sickly, very, very sickly._

_            I caught BD-2 sometime last year. Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi and I were investigating the virus in Ylicis on our own since the Odaiba team had pretty much fallen apart at that point and that's when we think we caught it. We each got the less virulent strain, in fact, it took a few weeks before we even realized it. It wasn't like the strain that Sora later caught, which ate her foot and eye in less then two days. We just got sicker and sicker, well, I started to lose my skin, which wasn't that bad compared to the others: Takashi was like me, he only lost a few pieces of skin, Keiko lost her fingers, but Hiroshi…his lungs started to disappear. We all knew that he would be the first to die, but, then they joined Digitalatri, and they were miraculously healed, except for Hiroshi, who lost his ability to talk. I guess the virus was just too deep._

_I had a crush on Hiroshi for years, and when we started our training with Taichi, we grew even closer. But I waited too long to tell him, and he fell in love with Keiko. I moved on, but after I came back to live on Earth, I moved in with Yamato. I don't know where it came from, but one day I suddenly found myself falling in love with him. I even gave him a wolf-shaped medallion to think of me._

_            Yamato and the others went to see Mina in the Digital World about some kind of weapons that the First Chosen used. While they were there, they were attacked by Asro of the Demon Lords. She grabbed Taichi's goggles before burring them beneath a destroyed home. The Demon King Cahiti showed the goggles to Sora and Catherine, telling them that Taichi and the others were dead._

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Famine:_

_Chapter 2_

--

            Sora, Catherine and their partners stared in horror at the broken and bloodied goggles that were lying on the table before them. The Demon King Cahiti crossed his arms and slowly stepped forward. "Those goggles belonged to Taichi Yagami," he said, "And he was the original leader of the Odaiba Chosen, one might have even said the leader of the entire Chosen population, but that was before the Chosen Council took over. At the end of his life, he was the leader of the X-Chosen."

            Catherine and Floramon glanced over at Sora and Piyomon, who were staring in disbelief at the object on the table. The French woman could see the fear in the redhead's eyes. "No, Sora, it cannot be true! Don't believe him!"

            The Japanese woman slowly shook her head, never taking her eyes off of the goggles. "S…she's right…she's right…" She forced a smile, "Yeah, you almost had me. T…there's no way that Taichi would die against a loser like you!"

            Cahiti chuckled and mentioned to Asro. "My lovely Queen did the job."

            This time the redhead started laughing. "Oh really? Well, now you really blew it! There's no way _she_ could ever kill Taichi!"

            Asro crossed her arms and grinned wickedly. "Oh trust me, he's dead, I can bring you the head if you'd like…."

            Sora glared at her, hate and defiance in her eyes. "I don't buy it."

            Cahait shrugged. "You will see in time that we speak the truth." She mentioned to Asro, "Come."

            The two Demon Lords exited the room, closing the door tightly. Sora's eyes drifted to the goggles once more. She stared at them, long and hard. "It's not true," Piyomon said, "It can't be…"

            "But…those are his goggles," Sora said, "Without a doubt."

            "T…they are?" Catherine asked.

            The redhead nodded. "C…Catherine," she said, "I…I think Taichi's…."

            "Don't say it!" Floramon shouted, "Don't!"

            Sora continued to stare at the goggles. "Taichi…."

111

            In the southern section of the Southern Continent, the city of Namu sat. It was once a city filled with Chosen and digimon, life and commerce. That was before Chosen Council Executive Order #045, the classification and relocation of all Infected Chosen. The city was cleared out, all except for the large mansion that sat at the city's southern side. It belonged to Mina Aishuwayra, an Indian Chosen. The X-Chosen traveled there to claim two weapons from her that once belonged to the First Chosen. The Demon Queen Asro arrived and a vicious battle ensued, resulting in the destruction of Mina's house, which toppled and buried the X-Chosen, crushing them to death. Or rather, _would_ have crushed them to death, had Taichi's partner not been in his Fully Evolved form of Metalgreymon X. The massive dinosaur had effectively shielded the others from the debris.

            The dinosaur roared as he punched his metal fist through the debris, throwing wood, concrete and nails in all directions. Beneath him, the X-Chosen and their Child-level X-digimon slowly crawled out of the hole created by the dinosaur. They skidded down the debris pile and landed on the sand-covered ground.

            "Is everyone okay?" Jyou asked.

            "A little shook up," Mimi said, dusting off her skirt, "But I think I'm fine."

            The others quickly agreed. Taichi grumbled as he patted his head. "That bitch stole my goggles…"

            Hikari turned to him and gasped. "T..taichi, y…you're bleeding?"

            "What?" he asked.

            "On your head."

            He ran a hand through his hair, then examined his hand. It had a fair amount of blood trickling down it. "Her nails," he grumbled, "They were like damn claws! What did she do, file them into razors? Damn it…"

            Jyou walked over and examined the top of his head. "You'll be fine, it's already starting to heal."

            Taichi rubbed his head again. "Stupid bitch…"

            Mimi looked at the destruction before her "Mina's home…is gone."

            "I hope she got to Earth," Palmon X said.

            "I'm sure she's fine," Michael said.

            "But…" his wife stuttered, "S…so much destruction…is it ever going to end?"

            Michael did not respond. He only embraced her and hugged her tightly.

            "What do we do now?" Yamato asked.

            Taichi held up the Sword of Hidieto. He glanced over at Yamato, who was still holding the Airguns of Lucien. "We've got the weapons, now we've just got to figure out how to use them, but we're gonna have to figure out on the way."

            Each one of the X-Chosen and their digimon stared up at him. They were waiting for his orders and leadership. They needed him, now more then ever. After years of being away, he had forgotten how truly important he was to them.

            He smiled and chuckled slightly. "All right. According to the Digital World's news reports, Schmidt's taken over a couple of cities and made them into his own personal killing grounds."

            "And the Council's got the Demon Lords to help them," Agumon X added.

            "Right," Taichi nodded, "Which makes them all the more dangerous. We've got to knock them off of their high horses before they kill every Infected Chosen."

            "They've got Iduia and Maira too," Mimi reminded them.

            "I know," Taichi said. He pulled out his cellphone and entered his text-message screen, where he had previously entered a few names, "Okay, the Council's got Zeradza in the north, Ausata in the south, New Havenwood in the west."

            "Split up?" Yamato asked.

            "Yeah," Taichi said, "But….hold on…I got a text message about an hour ago. Never heard the phone during the fight with Asro…it's from Yuri!"

            "Yuri?" Michael asked, "That's the guy we tried to help save Nightsun with, right?"

            "Yeah," Taichi nodded, "He's…he's in Ylicis with Anna. They escaped from Zeradza, but Karetu is chasing them. And…damn it! Maria's in Zeradza and they going to exterminate her!"

            Mimi gasped and Hikari exclaimed, "No!"

            Taichi growled. "Damn them! I'm gonna kick Schmidt's ass, I seriously am going to kick his ass!"

            "Taichi…" Agumon X said.

            The young man shook his head. "Right, right…Um..." He glanced over at Yamato, and saw Mimi and Michael standing behind him. "Yamato, you, Mimi and Michael go to Ylicis, Hikari, Jyou, we're going to Zeradza."

            The others nodded. "Let's go," Taichi said.

111

            The city of Zeradza was the last city before the great wastelands of the Northern Continent. A few hundred miles to the north, and the effects of the Digital World's 'Midnight Sun," would have been seen. However, at this latitude, the sun should have rose and set at normal times. So it was a tremendous shock to the citizens of the city as dawn never arrived and the sun never rose over the horizon.

            The Zeradza citizens, while not nearly as many as New Havenwood, were still not pleased about their city being turned into a Relocation Center for the Chosen Council, but when they became trapped in a never-ending night, they marched to the actual 'camp' and demanded answers.

            Ivan Kragoff, a representative from the Chosen Council, stood at the metal gates of the camp, along with another figure, who was draped within a purple cloak. "I understand that you are frightened!" Kragoff shouted, "This is not an illusion, the sun has never risen today!"

            "Why?" a teenage boy with a black-colored Patamon asked.

            "I have been investigating a possible solution," Kragoff said, "When this…being…appeared to me, giving me a solution."

            "What solution?" a teenage girl asked.

            "Allow me to answer that," the cloaked figure responded, stepping forward. "My name is Shiokuro, and I am the God of Night and Day…"

            "God of Night and Day?" one of the males asked.

            "That is correct," he replied, "I am one of the Seven Gods that protect this world."

            "Then why haven't you shown yourself before!"

            "Our world was once enough, but now with Digitilatri and the false god they worship, we must now appear in our full glory."

            A young woman with a Yanmamon as a partner stared at him. "All right, so if we believe you, then why are you here?"

            "Because the power I have over night and day has been taken from me, as such, I only have a limited amount to prove to you of my claims…"

            Shiokuro then raised his hands to the sky and used the power that he stole from Noriko Kawada to force the darkness to part and allow the sun to pass through in slivers. However, this only lasted for the shortest of moments, and the sky was once again covered with darkness.

            The so-called God of Night and Day fell to the ground, panting heavily. "I…I am sorry," he said, "But my power is still being blocked."

            His explanation was not needed, the entire population could clearly see. They truly believe him and trusted that he was who he claimed to be. "What do you want us to do?" the boy with the black-colored Patamon asked.

            "I know of the threat to this world," he said, "It is the BD-2, it is killing this world. You must…exterminate all Infected Chosen…"

            The citizens glanced at one another, then up at the night-colored midday sky. "Then we will," the boy with the black-colored Patamon said, "We will exterminate them all."

            Kragoff nodded. "Yes, this is why a camp has been set up here, the Gods approached us weeks ago and told us of the threat. This must be done."

            The citizens cheered in agreement. The Chosen Council representative put his hand on Shiokuro's back and the two slowly marched through the gates, shutting them behind them. Once they were safely in the confines of the building, Shiokuro's fatigue instantly vanished. "A scene worthy of the greatest actor!" he laughed.

            "Yeah," Kragoff nodded, "Your plan worked great. Now we've got the whole city behind us, and they turn a blind eye to the extermination of those pathetic, filthy Infected Chosen!"

            Shiokuro chuckled and crossed his arms. "It's refreshing to hear such anger and hate. Maybe this world does have hope after all."

            "I'm only doing this to serve the greater good," he said, "I will be known forever after as the man who saved the Northern Continent from the threat of the Infected Chosen!"

            "You seek fame."

            "Who doesn't?"

            His partner chuckled again and followed him through a door in the rear of the building which led to the actual camp itself. There were cabin-shaped buildings running along the sides of the electrified fences, but the unwilling occupants of those dwellings were outside in the yard. They each turned to the small balcony where Kragoff and Shiokuro had appeared.

            "Attention," the Council member shouted, "We will begin to further separate you later in the day. Expect the call around 3 or 4. That is all."

            Seated on the ground, leaning back against one of the cabins, was Maria. When Asro had taken her from Earth, she had pulled her out of her wheelchair, and not knowing anyone, indeed, with everyone in the camp having injuries from the BD-2 maybe worse then even Iduia, she was forced to crawl around on her own. Her Patamon was lying in her lap, trying to keep the Latino woman warm in the cold climate.

            He looked up at her. "What do you think he was talking about?"

            Maria sighed deeply. "They're going to start to exterminate us."

            "What?" her digimon gasped.

            "Yes, I know," she said, struggling to keep calm.

Her Patamon fluttered into the air. "I can't believe it, we're gonna die like this?"

            "It's not the end," Maria responded, "Taichi will rescue us."

            Patamon sighed. "I hope so."

111

            The deception of the Demon Lords was also experienced in Ausata. In that coastal city, the waves of the sea had mysteriously ceased. This affected the currents, which affected the fish and sea life. Being a costal city, their economy was based on fishing and tourism, and with a lack of either, the city had simply stopped.

            It did not make matters any better having their city transformed into a Relocation Center by the Chosen Council. However, like the citizens of Zeradza, they were easily fooled by the appearance of Amikyo and Enk of the Demon Lords, posing as the Goddess of Water and the God of Forest respectively. They arrived with Raven Frost and Sebastian Peirce of the Chosen Council. They were able to deceive the citizens into believe that the death of their ocean was the result of the Infected Chosen, and that they had to be exterminated. The non-Infected Citizens were fooled, but the Infected Chosen were not, especially Iduia.

            She had been sent there after being abducted by Asro, and, even in the sea of Level 1 Infected Chosen, she felt a sick feeling in her stomach to discover that she was still the Chosen with the worst infection of BD-2. While most of the other Level 1 Chosen were missing large portions of their body, Iduia was the only one missing nearly all of her internal organs. Her lungs were deteriorating, her voice box was damaged and her kidneys were all but destroyed.  Osborn was correct; she was the sickest out of all of the Infected Chosen.

            She lightly fingered the side of her oxygen mask, where it attached to the elastic band that was around her head, the back of which was covered by her hair. She unclasped the edge and slowly opened the mask to reveal her hose and mouth. Once she did, she began to gasp for air and had no choice but to reattach it once more.

            Her Kokuwamon turned and gave her a horrified look. "Iduia, what were you…"

            "Nothing," she said through her mechanized voice box, "I….just…nothing…."

            Kokuwamon flitted over. "We'll find a cure, you'll get better…"

            "I…have…heard…that…same…thing…for…two…years…"

            He sighed. "Yeah, I know it's bullshit, but, we've got to keep positive, right?"

            "I…just…get…jealous…some…times…I…mean…every…other…Chosen…isn't…as…bad…as…me…"

            "I'm sorry," Kokuwamon said, "I just wish I could do something…"

            The Brazilian Chosen placed her hand on his back. "You…are…here…with…me…that…is…enough…"

            He shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, I just hope that someone else gets here soon, before we're killed along with everyone else."

            Iduia silently agreed.

111

            Cahiti, Seiduka and Asro of the Demon Lords sat in their main conference room along with Schmidt and Osborn of the Chosen Council. "Our plan is working perfectly," Schmidt said, "With your intervention, the citizens of the cities we have commandeered won't protest our extermination of the Infected Chosen."

            "Yes," Cahiti said, "Our plan is working perfectly, but now your help once more."

            He raised his eyebrow. "How?"

            Seiduka walked over and handed him a manila envelope.  Osborn stared at it. "Hey," she said, "That's the folder I gave you with the info on Digitalatri!"

            "That's correct," Cahiti said, "We've reviewed it, especially the surveillance."

            "The point is," Asro said, "We don't like them being on the Center Island."

            "And why's that?" Schmidt asked.

            "The simplest answer," the Demon King said, "Is that island does not belong in the hands of that false prophet Miayag."

            "You want to take it?" Osborn asked, "But…it's covered with Digitalatri!"

            "We're gonna take it," Seiduka said, "And you're gonna help."

            "We are?" Schmidt asked.

            "Yes," Cahiti said, "Together we can take that island from their hands and with the center of the Digital World at our command, this world will belong to us!"

            Schmidt grinned. "All right, what do you need?"

            The Demon King mentioned to the Demon General. "You and Seiduka will plan an assault to take out their armies."

            The Security General of the Chosen Council crossed his arms. "All right, but if I'm going to use Council resources, I want something in return."

            "Like what?"

            "What do you want Takenouchi and Rupert for? Why are you holding them here?"

            "How dare you!" Seiduka shouted, "That is for us only!"

            "Easy," Cahiti said. He turned to Schmidt. "The reason that we are holding Takenouchi and Rupert is that they are currently holding something that I want."

            "What? You're not giving me the information I want!"

            Seiduka growled, but Cahiti continued to speak, "Takenouchi holds the power of fire, while Rupert holds the power of light. I covet those powers for my own."

            "And what about the others?"

            "What others?"

            Schmidt mentioned to Osborn, who pulled a PDA out of her pocket. "Lynna Jeffry, Anna Danika, Maria Silvano, Noriko Kawada, Iduia Ramiro, and Keeya Genet? You attacked them."

            He smiled beneath his hood. "Your surveillance is quite exceptional. Yes, each of them contained a certain power that I required. I stole a portion of that power using the Soul Catcher device. Once I have the powers that Takenouchi and Rupert hold, I will have the power to remake this world. Help us, and you will sit at our side…"

            The leader of the Chosen Council crossed his arms. "Sounds great to me."

            "Excellent," Cahiti said, "I knew I made the right choice in approaching you for partnership." He mentioned to the Demon General, "Now, go with Seiduka and prepare for the assault."

            He and Osborn nodded and they exited the room. Asro turned to Cahiti. "Was that such a good idea? Telling him everything?"

            "I had a feeling he would still continue to be with us," the Demon King chuckled, "As I said before, he truly has a heart of treachery and darkness. With him, he will complete our goals, and transform this world into our own image! We are only false gods in this world, but in _our_ world, we will be _true_ gods! True gods…."

111

            When Yamato, Mimi, Michael, and their digimon arrived in Ylicis, they were confronted by silence-deathly silence. The streets were completely deserted, even a pin being dropped on the cracking dirt-covered ground would have resounded like a cannon being shot.

            "Where is everyone?" Palmon X asked.

            "I don't understand this," Yamato said, "Noriko said this city was full of Infected Chosen…"

            "Maybe we're overlooking the obvious," Betamon X said, "They were probably rounded up by the Chosen Council…."

            "Probably," Michael sighed, shaking his head, "We've got to do something about this!"

            "We will," Yamato said, "We'll take down the Council and their Demon Lords partners! Especially, Seiduka, I'll tear his head off!"

            The others stared at him for a moment, but just shrugged it off. "What about your weapon?" Gabumon X asked.

            Yamato pulled the Airgun of Lucien out of its holster and examined it within his hands. "It's so weird, isn't it?" he asked, "This weapon was used by someone who fought in this world before we did. And we didn't have any idea that he even existed until a few days ago. And now I've got his weapon. Suddenly, I want to know everything I can about this guy, what kind of person was he? Was he like me? What kind of digimon did he have for a partner?"

            "Wow, Yamato," Mimi said, "Where's all of this coming from?"

            He shrugged as he put the gun back into its holster. "I don't know…maybe you really do mature as you get older."

            The other chuckled slightly. Yamato began to glance around at the deserted streets. "So, where's Anna and Yuri?"

            "They could be anywhere," Gabumon X said, "And this city is pretty big…"

            "Oh!" Mimi said, hitting her forehead with her palm, "Duh!"

            "What?" Palmon X asked.

            "We can just send them a text message!" she exclaimed, taking out her pink-colored cell-phone. She quickly entered her message and pressed the send button. A few seconds later her phone emitted a beep and she read the displayed message on the screen. "They're a few blocks away, but they're gonna come out to meet us."

            "Cool," Michael said.

            The group followed Mimi as she navigated through the streets. They eventually turned a corner and found two blond-haired young adults walking through the streets. The blond woman had a white bandage around her eyes, and was clutching to the young man's arms.

            "Anna!" Mimi shouted, "Yuri!"

            "Mimi?" Anna asked.

            "_Da_," Yuri said into her ear, "Mimi, Yamato and Michael are here."

            Anna held tightly to Yuri as he walked through the streets. She had lost her walking stick, and since Ylicis was not familiar to her, she was forced to depend on her friends to lead her.

When the BD-2 took her eyes, she was determined not to let it ruin her life. She stayed strong, strengthening her other senses. While in Zeradza and Nightsun, she knew that other Infected Chosen were inspired by her, she helped them not to give up. Yet, since being taken by the Chosen Council for extermination, she had fallen apart. She had lost her strength and determination, and was now a shadow of her former self.

She had her hands tightly wrapped around Yuri's arm, but flinched slightly when she felt another pair of hands on her shoulder. "It's just Mimi," her Penmon said.

            "I…I apologize," Anna said, hanging her head low.

            "No, it's okay," Mimi said, hugging her, "You've been through a lot, I understand that. But we'll get through this, we will!"

            She nodded slightly. "I know, I know, but, it will never be the same again, will it?"

            "Probably not," Michael said, crossing his arms, "This world's been through hell in the past few years, and it's only gonna get worse."

            "You're in a bad mood today," Betamon X said.

            "Yeah, well, after having your friends try to kill you, watching the Digital World turn into a concentration camp, and then having a building dropped on you by a nymphomaniac-doppelganger of one of your friends,  you get kind of annoyed."

            The others stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow," Mimi said, "You're really getting cranky."

            Yuri placed his hand on Anna's shoulder. "What now?" he asked, "We need to free Zeradza…"

            Yamato shook his head. "Taichi's going to Zeradza, he can handle it."

            "Then what about us?"

            Yamato smiled slightly. "I hope you guys are ready for some sun and water. We're going to Ausata."

            The Russian man nodded. He turned to the blond young woman. "Ready?"

            Anna nodded. "Yes, let's….Get down, now!"

            The others acted on instinct alone as they dove to the ground, narrowly missing a shower of arrows from above. The deadly projectiles whistled through the air and over their head and pierced even the sand-caked ground behind them.

            The X-Chosen slowly rose to their feet and began to scan the building tops. There was a young man with a crew cut of blond hair and a pair of black sunglasses on his face. Sanding at his side was a centaur-type creature holding a large bow and arrow.

            "Ya missed, Sagittarimon!" the human shouted.

            "Sorry," the digimon responded, "I didn't know the blind girl could hear so well."

            "Who the hell are you?" Yamato shouted.

            "He's been tracking us!" Yuri exclaimed, "Him and that Demon Lord!"

            "Demon Lord?" Mimi asked.

            "He's referrin' ta me."

            Yamato frowned. "I know that voice…" He turned around to see Karetu and Beelzebumon standing on another building roof. "You…"

            "That's right," the Demon Hunter said, crossing his arms, "Me and Mr. Sterns over there have gone on quite a chase to find you…" He eyed Anna and Yuri.

            "Wait a minute," Yamato said, "What's your crest?

            He smirked. "The Crest of Gluttony…"

            "Gluttony?" he asked.

            "That's right," he chuckled, "And my crest wasn't created through a specific event, but from Takeru's entire life!"

            "What?" Yamato gasped.

            "Through you're first adventure, Takeru's power was the greatest, but during his second adventure, he lost most of that power. So, he craved the might he once had, but he kept those feeelin's hidden inside him, where they festered and grew until the Crest of Gluttony was created, _my_ crest."

            Sterns of the Chosen Council sighed. "If you don't mind, we're in the middle of something! Hand over Infected Chosen Number RM187, right now."

            "If you're talking about Anna," Mimi said, "You're not getting her without a fight!"

            "Sound's great ta me!" Karetu laughed. He and Beelzebumon leapt off of their building roof at the same time Sagittarimon jumped off of his roof with Sterns on his back. The two landed on both sides of the X-Chosen, the demon's guns pointed at Michael's head, while the centaur's bow and arrow was aiming for Mimi's stomach.

            "Tell ya what," Karetu said, "Why don't we just kill the X-Chosen and take Danika back with us? I don't think the bosses'll have any problem with that."

            Sterns nodded, smiling slightly. "I think you're right. Let's kill all of them."

            Yamato turned to his group. "All right. Keep Anna safe in the middle."

            The Chosen nodded and their partners evolved to their highest level" Weregarurumon X, Lillymon X, Megaseadramon X and Kuwagamon X. The wolf digimon and the insect charged at Beelzebumon while the flower child and the sea serpent dove at Sagittarimon.

            Beelzebumon grinned as his enemies flew towards him. He grabbed Kuwagamon X with his claw and flung him into Weregarurumon X, causing both of them to tumble along the ground. The wolf growled and leapt back to his feet. He charged at the grinning demon, his claws glistening in the afternoon sun. He slashed at the air, sending a wave of purple energy into Beelzebubmon. "Kaiser Nail!"

            The demon digimon chuckled and dropped to his left side, allowing the wolf's energy wave to shoot right over him. While still lying on the ground he shot around, knocking his feet into Weregarurumon X's, bringing him to the ground. Before the wolf could react, the demon spun around the other way, knocking his feet once more into him, but this time, sending him into the air. Beelzebumon jumped into the air and bashed his snout with his dark fists.

            "Weregarurumon!" Yamato shouted.

            Beelzebumon grinned in amusement as he watched Weregarurumon X fall back to the ground. He was unable to fly as well, and so feel to the ground as well. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kuwagamon X heading towards him at full speed. He waited until the insect was closer before fully spinning around and slashing him with his claws.

            Weregarurumon X was back on his feet in moments executed another Kaiser Nail attack to save Kuwagamon X. This one did strike Beelzebumon in the back, twisting him around in the air.

            "Ya' dirty little sneak!" he shouted, "I'm getting' tired of handlin' ya with kid gloves! They're commin' off now!"

            "I think we may have made him mad," Yuri said.

            Yamato growled and looked down at the Arigun of Lucien in his hands. "How am I supposed to use this?!"

            Kuwagamon X and Weregarurumon X charged at their enemy, determined not to lose.

            Meanwhile, the Chosen Council member Samuel Sterns watched as his Sagittarimon fired a barrage of arrows at Megaseadramon X and Lillymon X. The two digimon darted and dodged the attack, but while Lillymon X was agile as a fairy, Megaseadramon X had a body that was long and twisted, and much more of an easy target. Sagittarimon began to fire arrows after arrows, finally managing to strike the tip of his tail. The quick and sudden attack surprised him and threw him off balance. He twisted to the right, which left him open for another barrage of arrows from the centaur.

            "Megaseadramon!" Michael shouted.

            "Lillymon!" Mimi shouted, "Help him!"

            Her X-digimon partner instantly obeyed and shot over to him. She placed both of her palms together and created a large flower which blossomed into a cannon. She pointed her new weapon at Sagittarimon, but when she tried to fire, Megaseadramon X fluttered into the way. She darted to the side, lined up her shot and fired. "Flower Cannon!"

            The centaur turned his head upon hearing Lillymon X calling out her attack. He affixed another arrow and fired it directly at the energy ball. "Judgment Arrow!"

            He fired his arrow, which transformed into a three-pronged projectile that shot into the center of Lillymon X's attack, causing it to explode from the inside out.

            "Damn it," the flower child muttered.

            "Nice work," Sterns chuckled.

            "Thanks," his partner grinned. He affixed another arrow in his quiver and positioned it at the floating Lillymon X. "Judgement Arrow!"

            "Get out of the way!" Mimi shouted.

            Her X-digimon partner shot further into the sky, but impossibly, Sagittarimon's arrow twisted direction in mid-air and followed her path. She attempted to dive out of the way, but once again, the arrow followed her, finally striking her in the back. The force of the impact sent her twisting and spinning until she crashed into the ground.

            "Oh no!" Mimi gasped.

            Sterns chuckled, "Perfect as always, now finish the job!"

            Lillymon X struggled to get to her feet, but Sagittarimon pounded his hoof into her chest, trapping her on the ground. He placed another arrow in his quiver and pointed it at her head. "Nothing personal, but I always complete my hunt! Judgment…"

            He stopped short when he saw out of the corner of his eye, Megaseadramon X shooting towards him, his horn glowing brightly. "King Javelin!"

            The centaur twirled around and held up his quiver in an attempt to block the attack, but to no use, Megaseadramon X simply tore through the bow and struck Sagittarimon in the chest, throwing him onto his back.

            "Ah!" Sterns shouted. He turned to Karetu, only to find that the Demon Lord was too busy watching his own partner battling Weregarurumon X and Kuwagamon X.

            The wolf and the insect hovered around Beelzebumon, who stood motionless with his arms crossed. The two X-digimon leapt to attack at once, but the demon slipped his hands into his holsters, pulling out his two shotguns. He pointed them at his two attackers and pulled the trigger. "Double Impact!"

            A quick assault of bullets flew from his weapons and struck the two X-digimon across their bodies. Kuwagamon X reverted to Kokuwamon X and smashed into the ground. Weregarurumon X was thrown to his knees, but remained in his current form. He clutched his stomach and panted heavily. He managed to lift his head as Beelzebumon marched over and pointed his shotgun at his forehead. "See ya!"

            Weregarurumon X batted the shotgun aside and slammed his fist into the demon's face. Beelzebumon stagger backwards, but grinned as he turned back to face him. "Not bad, I really felt that one. Too bad it was enough! Double Impact!"

            This time, the wolf took the shot directly in the chest at point blank range. He instantly reverted to Gabumon X and fell to the ground.

            The demon chuckled and twirled his shotguns around in his hand. "All right, time ta finish ya once and for all."

            "Stop!"

            The demon turned around and came face-to-face with Lillymon X and Megaseadramon X. "Don't you take another step, or you're finish, understand?" the serpent asked.

            "Ya really think ya can stop me?" he asked.

            "It doesn't matter," Lillymon X said, "We'll fight you to the end."

            "Karetu!" Sterns shouted, "Kill them and let's get going!"

            "No!" Anna shouted, pushing through the X-Chosen.

            "Anna!" Yuri shouted, "What are you doing?"

            "I'm not going to let him kill you," she said, "I'm giving myself up…"

            "No!" Yamato shouted, "Not anymore! No one's getting hurt to save us!"

            Karetu shrugged and crossed his arms. "Ya know what, I really can't see the harm in letting ya go free anyway."

            "What?" Sterns gasped, "We're under orders…."

            "For what?" Karetu asked, "All this trouble just ta kill a girl in a gas chamber? Let's just let em' go, we'll kill another time."

            "But…we're under orders…."

            "Loosen up," the Demon Hunter said, "Let ya hair down."

            The Chosen Council member sighed and shook his head. "Whatever…"

            Karetu snapped his fingers and he, Sterns and their partners vanished in his trademark yellow light.

            "Oh man," Mimi said, "I can't believe we got out of that one."

            "Just barely," Yamato muttered, kneeling down to help Gabumon X to his feet.

            Yuri ran over to Anna. "What were you thinking? Don't ever do anything like that again!"

            "I am sorry," she said, "I…I just could not bare the thought of you being hurt because of me. If anything happened to you…'

            "Anna," he said, "If anything were to happen to _you_…"

            Yamato watched the two young adults embraced one another tightly. For a moment instead of Yuri and Anna he saw himself holding another young woman, one with short brown hair….

            "Something wrong?" Gabumon X asked.

            "N…no," he said, shaking his head, "Nothing."

111

            Taichi's small group cautiously made their way through the city of Zeradza. Due to the near-zero temperature, they were forced into thick wool parkas, which, thankfully, hide their faces. If it had been a more populous city, he would not have been as worried, but Zeradza was a typical calm, quiet northern town. This meant secrecy was of the essence.

            "It's the middle of the day," Gomamon X said, "Why is it so dark right now?"

            "Don't you remember?" Plotmon X replied, "The sun never rose here for some reason, just like the ocean is moving in the Southern Continent. The Digital World's just not doing it's basic….thing."

            "I think this might be classified as a famine," Jyou said.

            "Isn't that where there's no food?" Taichi asked.

            "Yes," he said, "But considering the Digital World, like Earth, _needs_ to have the sun rise, it _needs_ the have it's oceans moving, it's like the world isn't getting the food _it_ needs."

            "Why Jyou," Gomamon X said, "You're becoming pretty philosophical in your old age."

            He grumbled a response, as they walked through the streets in silence until they arrived at the newly constructed extermination camp. They stood in front of a metal fence and peered inside.

            "Hey, Taichi," Jyou asked, "How exactly are we going to get Maria out of here?"

            "I'm not planning on getting _Maria_ out," he said, "We're going to get everyone out."

            "Right," he said, "That's what I meant. Any ideas?"

            He rubbed his chin through the thick wool mittens as he stared at the metal fence. It was a chain length fence, but it was thick metal, topped with wires and sharp points. He followed it around to two guard towers on the left and right. With such a simple outer perimeter, there should have been plenty of guards standing at attention.

            "Where is everyone?" Agumon X asked.

            Taichi nodded. "Yeah, something's wrong. Where are all the guards?"

            "Maybe they just thought that since all the Infected Digimon can't evolve past the Child level, they wouldn't be a threat?" Hikari suggested.

            "Or maybe they need to be somewhere else, at another part of the camp?"

            "But why?" Jyou asked.

            Taichi's eyes shot open. "Oh shit, you don't think they're exterminating them already?"

            Hikari gasped. "Maria….!"

            Her older brother glanced up at the fences and mentioned with his hands. "All right, we're jumping over."

            "What?" Jyou gasped, "Taichi, that's probably an electric fence…"

            "I've got that covered," he said. He walked over to one of the buildings where a large metal dumpster was resting. It was empty, which meant that there were not many people living in this area. He positioned himself behind the dumpster and began to push it as hard as he could. It moved fairly easily and picked up speed even in such a short distance. It crashed through the gate's entrance, granting the X-Chosen access.

            Hikari, Jyou, and their partners were in shock as Taichi simply ran through the newly-created opening. "Come on!" he shouted, "Before someone comes over to investigate!"

            They ran after him and entered the camp. To their surprise and horror, it was exactly the way they pictured it, rows of wooden cabins, depressed, sickly prisoners, healthy, corrupt guards, and, most sickening to them, a long concrete building running alongside one of the fence, even more sickening, was that standing before the building were dozens of prisoners.

            They hid behind the furthest cabin bunker and peered around the edge. Hikari watched in horror as the Infected Chosen were placed a hand over her mouth and turned away. "T…that's a…a…a…isn't it?"

            "Gas chamber," Jyou said, nodding slowly, "yeah…"

            The digimon looked up at their partners. They had never heard that phrase before, but they could sense that it was bad. "W…what is a gas chamber?" Plotmon X asked.

            Hikari took a few deep breaths. "That's where…they're going to…k…kill them…" She turned to her brother, "Taichi…what are we waiting for?"

            He glanced back at the damaged gate. There were not any guards anywhere to be found. "Why aren't there any guards around? This doesn't make any sense."

            "Taichi," Hikari said, "What about them?" She mentioned to the Infected Chosen.

            "I'm trying to make sure we don't get killed," he said, "And I'm really worried about why there's only a handful of guards from the Chosen Council. Why aren't they worried about security?"

            Jyou crossed his arms. "I think Hikari's right, the prisoners aren't much of a threat. I mean, their partners can't evolve even to the Adult level, not to mention that many of the humans are missing the limbs necessary to run."

            "Maybe," Taichi said, "But something's still bothering me…."

            "Taichi!" Hikari cried.

            He sighed and shook his head. "All right, there are five guards, each one partnered to a Yukidarumon."

            "Sounds pretty simple," Agumon X said.

            "Yeah…all right, let's go." He reached for his X-digivice, and nodded at Hikari and Jyou, who reached for their own digivices.

            The Infected Chosen were not aware that the X-Chosen had come to save them. Each and every one of them was horrified at the sight of the gas chamber that they were being led into, for they knew that once they stepped inside, they would not being stepping out again.

            Even more horrifying was the fact that this chamber was about to be used for the first time, and that the chamber was completely full. One of the condemned Chosen was Maria.

            She was seated on the floor, with her back against the metal wall. She glanced around at the other Chosen inside the chamber with her. Most were crying, and those that were not, were desperately clawing at the metal doors in a vain attempt to escape. She sighed deeply and turned to the floor.

            "This sucks, doesn't it?" her Patamon asked, "After all this, everything we did, we get killed like this! I can't believe this is how it ends!"

            "Yes, I know," she responded.

            "Why aren't you freaking out?" he asked.

            "Because I have hope," she said.

            "Hope in what?" he shouted, "I think this is it!"

            "I mean hope in what will come after this life, I believe that we will be rewarded for our sacrifices and good deeds."

            "You mean…the Digital God?"

            She shook her head. "No, I do not know what the God of the Digitalatri truly is, but I do not believe he is the one we will sit in front of and be judged."

            Patamon sighed. "Well, if you believe, then I guess I believe too. If you say so, then that's good enough for me."

            The screams and cries instantly stopped as a loud, mechanical sound began to whirl throughout the building. Maria clutched Patamon tightly. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

            "Likewise," her partner responded, tears forming in his eyes.

            They both closed their eyes and held one another tightly as they awaited the deadly gas to cloud their air. However, after only a few moments, they realized that nothing had happened. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. "What happened?"

            The reason that she and her fellow Infected Chosen had not been sent to the afterlife was that Metalgreymon X had damaged the pipes connecting the chamber to the smaller building where the gas was stored as he, Nefertimon X and Anomalocarimon X bashed their way through the emptied cabin bunkers.

            The five guards of the Chosen Council ordered their Yukidarumons to attack, but they were easily defeated by the X-digimon. Taichi pointed to the gas chamber. "Bust them out!"

            "You got it," Metalgreymon X said, stomping through the snow and used his metal arm to rip the roof off of the chamber. The Infected Chosen inside stared up at him in horror. "Hang on guys," he said, "I'm here to get you out."

            They were hesitant, but after watching him rip off a section of the wall, they began to stamped through the new opening.

            Taichi ran through the crowd of Infected Chosen. "Maria!" he shouted, "Maria!" He ran into the damanged gas chamber. "Maria!"

            "Over here, Taichi…"

            He strained his eyes and saw the young woman in the corner, crawling towards him. He ran over and lifted her into his arms. Once she was safely in his grasp, he body went nearly limp.

            "I knew you'd save me," she weakly said, her eyes slowly closing.

            "Maria!" her partner shouted.

"It's okay," he said to the Patamon, "She just fainted." He mentioned to his back. "Come on, get on."

            Once the small digimon was attached to his shoulder, they ran out of the building and joined the others

            "Maria!" Hikari exclaimed, tears starting to form in her eyes, "I'm so glad you're safe!"

            Jyou looked over the Infected Chosen, who were standing in awe before the X-Chosen. "Hey, that actually went pretty well. Now we've just got to get them out of here."

            "We're got a slight problem," Anomalocarimon X said.

            Jyou turned to him and followed his gaze to the gate they had damaged on their way inside, where the entire population of Zeradza was assembling. One of the Chosen, a teenage boy with a black-colored Patamon, stepped forward. "You are freeing those prisoners?"

            "They're not prisoners," Hikari said.

            "They must be exterminated so that the sun will rise again," he stated.

            "Who told you that?" Jyou gasped.

            "The God of Night and Day."

            "God of Night and Day?" he repeated,

            "He is referring to me."

            The X-Chosen spun around to the tallest building in the camp, where, standing at the base, were a muscular young man with a crew cut of blond hair, a humanoid bird man holding two swords, and a human draped in a purple cloak.

            "You're here?" Taichi gasped, "That's why there's no security, huh? Because with someone as powerful as you here, you don't need it."

            "You catch on quick," he chuckled, "Allow me to introduce Ivan Kragoff and his partner, Karentmon, they are of the Chosen Council."

            "We kinda figured that," Anomalocarimon X said.

            "I don't get it," Taichi said, "Why are the Demon Lords so interested in exterminating Infected Chosen?"

            "Demon Lords?" Kragoff asked.

            "Demon Lords?" the teenage boy with the black Patamon asked, "You said you were a god…"

            "I _am_ a god," Shiokuro said.

"No he's not!" Hikari shouted, "Don't believe him! He's a Demon Lord! He's going to take over the entire Digital World!"

            "She's right," Taichi said, eying him, "Which crest do you have? Huh?"

            "My crest is the Crest of Greed," he replied.

            Taichi waited for his further explanation, but when he received none, he cleared his throat. "Um…?"

            The Demon Lord smirked. "I'm greed, I'm not giving you anything, including information!" The self-proclaimed God of Night and Day waved his hands in front of his body, "Now, Kragoff, we need to stop the prisoners from escaping. Why don't we just destroy them now?"

            "Sounds good to me," his Council partner chuckled, "Just give us a moment to vacate the Zeradza citizens…"

            "Why wait?" he asked, "Their lives are all pointless anyway." He threw open his cloak so he could point his right hand to the sky, where it was revealed that he hand a pointed crystals attached to his forearm via a purple strap. He pointed that crystal at the sky, and the sunless sky transformed into a black nightmare.

            The Zeradza citizens began to gasp and chatter amongst themselves. "What's going on?" the boy with the black Patamon asked, "What have you done?"

            Shiokuro chuckled. "Guess what?" he said, "What the Yagami-girl said about me…it's true."

            He suddenly fired a blast of black energy from the crystal. It sliced the boy through the stomach and he fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head.

            The Chosen, both Infected and non-Infected, all began to scream as they trampled over one another to escape from the deceptive 'God of Night and Day.' Taichi shifted Maria from his back into Hikari's arms. He mentioned to the fleeing Chosen. "Lead them to safety."

            "But…"

            "Go!" he shouted, "We'll handle this!"

            She hesitated a moment, but nodded as she jumped onto her partner's back. "Nefterimon, let's go!"

            The angelic sphinx hovered into the air and flew to the front of the fleeing mob. "Follow me!" Hikari shouted, "Follow me!"

            Taichi ran back over to his fellow X-teammates. "All right Jyou, it's you and me."

            "No offense, but I'd prefer it if there were more of us."

            "Me too," he said. He glanced at his partner, "Ready, buddy?"

            Metalgreymon X nodded. "You know it."

            "How about you?" Jyou asked his own partner.

            "I'm always ready!" Anomalocarimon X said, swinging his claws in front of him in an attempt to appear tougher.

            Kragoff crossed his arms and chuckled slightly. "Do you really think you're going to escape that easily? Karatenmon, go after them."

            The bird-digimon cawed and grabbed his sword. He made a fancy movement with it before darting forward. Metalgreymon swung his claw arm up to strike him from beneath, but the bird digimon used his wings to leap into mid-air, completely missing the assault. However, this left him open for Anomalocarimon X's attack.

            The crustacean placed his claws together and fired out a blast of energy. "Tail Blade!" The energy attack struck the bird man in the back, throwing him off balance. This gave Metalgreymon X another opportunity to attack, this time successfully swatting the bird with his metal arm, crashing him into the ground. He lifted his massive foot and was about to crush the bird, but Karatenmon darted back into the air.

            Shiokoru shook his head. "So far, you're not inspiring me with any confidence."

            Kragoff twirled to face him. "We will not lose."

            The Demon Lord crossed his arms. "I don't know. Do we have to take care of this?" There was a blast of purple light and Shiokoru's partner, Barbamon appeared behind him.

            "I can handle this!" Kragoff shouted.

            Shiokoru glanced at the crystal that was attached to his arm. "This energy is the same energy that gave Ishida the ability to evolve his partner to the Fully Evolved level."

            "Darkness," Taichi said, "That's the energy you stole from Noriko!"

            "Actually Cahiti stole it, and then he gave it to me, but why play around with semantics? An idea has been forming in my mind, something I want to test. If this energy gave Ishida's partner the ability to evolve, what would happen if I did…this?!"

            With a sudden and quick motion, he shoved the pointed crystal into Kragoff's stomach. Everyone was silent for a few moments as their eyes were wide with shock and awe. Shiokuro pulled the crystal out and Kragoff's body began to radiate with black waves.

            Karatenmon ceased his battle with Metalgreymon X and flew to his partner. Once he was close enough, a blast of black light shot from Kragoff's body, merging with the bird man. It pulled the digimon closer to the human until the two were a mess of black energy. A whirlwind of black light enveloped them and once the light exploded, a new, lone figure stood where once there had been two. It was a massive figure, wearing pitch black armor, two sets of yellow metal wings and carrying a black spear.

            The Demon Vizer stared in wonder at his new creation. "Ivan, are you in there?"

            "Yes," he responded in a deeper version of Ivan Kragoff's voice.

            "How do you feel?"

            "Power," he responded, "Such…power! The power of darkness!"

            Shiokoru laughed. "You wanted fame, you wanted to be remembered forever, and you will be, a force of might, an empire of darkness. I think I shall call you Reichmon."

            "Reichmon," he growled.

            The Demon Lord mentioned to the X-Chosen. "Fame, power, if you truly want these then I can think of one thing that would be no greater claim to fame for a Chosen; bring your master, bring Schmidt, the heads of the X-Chosen!"

            "Oh crud," Jyou sighed, "I had a feeling that was coming."

            Reichmon shot forward in a black blur. Both X-digimon twisted and turned their heads in an attempt to locate him, but as soon as Metalgreymon X looked in the opposite direction, the newly-created digimon appeared behind him and bashed his staff into the back of his head as hard as he could. The dinosaur fell forward, but managed to fix his balance before he crashed into the ground. He spun around, but Reichmon was already gone.

            The newly-created digimon darted over to Anomalocarimon X and began to bash him repeatedly with his spear. The crustacean attempted to counter, or at least block, Reichmon's attacks. He could not execute his Tail Blade attack, as he could not lift his front pincers. He finally shot his sharp blade over top and struck Reichmon in the chest. This threw him off and he would have fell onto his back, if his wings did not lift him higher into the air.

            "Take this!" Metalgreymon X shouted, swinging his metal arm at the hovering dark digimon. Reichmon twisted his spear up and blocked the sharp metal claws, inches from his face. They were locked in a power struggle for a full five minutes before Reichmon was able to overpower Metalgreymon X and threw his metal arm higher into the air. The dark digimon shot into the air and punched the dinosaur as hard as he could, sending a shockwave of dark energy into the air.

            "Metalgreymon!" Taichi shouted.

            The dinosaur stumbled backwards, but twisted his body back forward and slammed his head into Reichmon. The newly-created digimon swung his spear around and slashed a section of orange skin away from his chin. Metalgreymon X shot his hands up and trapped Reichmon within his steel-grip.

            "Yes!" Taichi shouted, "Yeah!"

            Metalgreymon X chuckled as he squeezed Reichmon even tighter. "Try to escape now…"

            Jyou flinched. "I don't think you should be taunting him…"

            His warning came too late as Reichmon pointed his spear at Metalgreymon's chest and shouted, "_Schwarz Lehrsatz_!" His spear sudden became a blaze with orange flames. The spear shot from his hand, heading towards the dinosaur.

            "Metalgreymon!" Taichi shouted, "Get out of the way!"

            The dinosaur darted to the side as fast as he could. Reichmon's spear pierced his right shoulder, tearing through bone and muscles, emerging from the other side. Metalgreymon X hissed in pain and he was forced to release Reichmon from his grip. The dark digimon darted back as the dinosaur fell to one knee due to the pain from his injury.

            Reichmon chuckled and pointed his spear at the dinosaur once more, but stopped when he heard Anomalocarimon X began to shout. "Tail Blade!"

            He caught the energy attack sailing towards him out of the corner of his eye. He used his spear to bat the energy blades where they exploded in the snow-covered ground.

            "Take this! Trident Arm Version 9.9!"

            Reichmon spun around at the sound of Metalgreymon X calling out his attack, but he was not fast enough. The sharp points of the cyber-dinosaur's claws pierced even Reichmon's armor.

            The dark digimon hovered in the air for a moment, his body shaking and twitching before smashing into the ground. His body glowed with black light for a moment before his data dissolved into the sky.

            "Are you alright?" Taichi asked, running over to his partner.

            "Taichi!" Jyou shouted, "Look out!"

            He spun around just in time to watch as Barbamon appeared before them. With ease he struck Metalgreymon X, regressing him to Agumon X in an instant. The demon leapt into the air, executed a series of flips before crashing on top of Anomalocarimon X, reverting him to his Child form as well.

Taichi and Jyou called out their partners' names before twirling to face Shiokuro and Barabmon. The Demon Lord was grinning maliciously. "The power of darkness, it is truly incredible!"

            He laughed as he looked down at the X-Chosen. "With this power, I can conquer the entire Northern Continent!" He looked at his partner, "Come, Barbamon, let us take what we want, we have the power to do so! We will truly be gods!"

            His laugher was still heard long after he and his partner vanished in their familiar burst of purple light.

            To be continued…………


	14. The Book of Famine: Chapter 3

_My name is Anna Danika, and I was born at a time of great change. My home country is Russia, and until I was three years of age, it was known as the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, a member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I do not remember much from that time, after all, I was only three, but my parents constantly tell me how different the world was for them as compared to me. "Anna, you don't know how different the world is today compared to the world we lived in." My usual response was to roll my eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."_

_            That was before the Christmas of 2002. That was when I was first introduced to the Digital World, when I first met Penmon. Shortly afterwards, I, along with Lola and Yuri, were called to help Sora and Miyako defend the city from an army of Flymon. We later helped them defeat Malomyotismon, bringing peace to the Digital World. Now, whenever my parents tell me how different the world is, I always respond, "You have no idea."_

_             Of course, that was before the Second Black Death attack me and Penmon, Lola and Yuri were infected as well, but when the X-Antibody was released, he was modified by it and healed. Lola….Lola never had a chance to be modified, she was dead within a few weeks. As for me, the BD-2 stripped me of my most basic sense, my sense of sight. Overnight, my entire life had changed._

_            Yui and I become involved with Taichi Yagami's struggle with Digitalatri and the Demon Lords. The Chosen Council then decided that all Infected Chosen had to be 'relocated.' We weren't fooled, they meant to exterminate all of Chosen with the greatest level of infection, which counted me, Maria and Iduia among them. _

_Yuri freed me from the camp in Zeradza, but Karetu and Samuel Sterns of the Council chased us to Ylicis. Yamato, Mimi and Michael came to our aid and rescued us. However, Taichi, Jyou and Hikari went back to Zeradza to save Maria. But the Demon Vizer, Shiokuro, used the power of darkness he stole from Noriko to transform Ivan Kragoff of the Council into a digimon of darkness named Reichmon. Taichi and Jyou managed to defeat him, but Shiokuro escaped._

_            While this was happening, Sora and Catherine, still prisoners of the Demon Lords, were tricked into believe that Taichi had died._

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Famine:_

_Chapter 3_

--

            Chaiti, King of the Demon Lords, raised his eyebrow. "Tell me again what has happened…"

            Schmidt narrowed his eyes. "Your _Demon Vizer_ changed Ivan Kragoff into a digimon! And he was so busy admiring his 'creation' that he didn't stop the Infected Chosen in Zeradza from escaping!"

            "Interesting…"

            "Interesting?!" Schmidt shouted.

            "Calm yourself now!" he shouted back. The Chosen Council leader flinched back at the sight of the rage behind his scream.

            "Now," the Demon King said, "How powerful was the digimon-Kragoff?"

            "He…he was able to hold his own against Metalgreymon X and Anomalocarimon X." 

"Maybe we can use this power to our further advantage." He turned to Schmidt, "Contact the group in Ausata."

            "And do what?"

            "Let them know of the power that can be theirs. Perhaps this will be the way to finally defeat the X-Chosen, and claim this world for our own!"

            Schmidt crossed his arms. "You keep saying that, and I'm waiting for it to come true…"

            "Patience, patience…" he lifted his hand, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must see to my guests…"

            "Takenouchi and Rupert?" he asked.

            "You're observational skills are second to none," he said sarcastically as exited the room. He walked through the corridors until he arrived at the prison section. Inside the only cell _in_ the prison section, sat Sora, Catherine and their digimon partners. The redheaded woman was curled into a ball, while the blond woman and the digimon were consoling her. The Demon King chuckled and stepped inside.

            "Hello, my dears, how are you this evening?"

            "Get out!" Catherine shouted.

            Cahiti chuckled. "Now, now, I have come to see if there is anything I can do to help you in this terrible crises you must be facing."

            "Taichi's not dead!" Catherine spat, "And neither iz Yamato, or Hikari, or any of ze others!"

            "That is what _you_ believe," he said, "But what about Sora?" He went to gently placed his hand on her back, but Piyomon batted it aside.

            He laughed. "Just remember, Sora, my dear, I am here should you need to talk." He slowly exited the room, closing the door.

            "Damn him," Catherine said. She gently patted Sora's back, "Don't listen him, he's just trying to mess wit' our minds…"

            "But what if he's right?" Sora asked, "What if Taichi's dead?"

            "I've never seen her like this," Piyomon whispered to Floramon, "She's really depressed."

            "Taichi…" Sora moaned, "Yamato, Hikari, Mimi…you can't be gone…you can't…"

111

            In the southern city of Ausata, Amikyo, the Demon Princess, stood on the balcony of the main building attached to the newly-built Relocation Camp. She had a clear vision of the beach, where, despite the sudden ceasing of the ocean's waves, was still packed with tourists. The males were all shirtless with chiseled chests and the females were supermodels in bikinis that barely covered their small bodies.

            She growled. "I can't wait until we start killing them all." She glanced to the ground, where one of their Chosen Council envoys was sunbathing. Her name was Raven Frost, and she was wearing a blue swimsuit that covered her curvy body. "Especially _her…_I can't wait to drop this stupid act of pretending to be their allies so that I can tear her apart. I mean, look at her, she can't weight more then 90 pounds!"

            "That's ridiculous," Enk muttered from where he was seated on a chair, his legs propped onto a table.

            "What?" she asked, twirling to face him.

            "You're overreacting, like usual…"

            "Well," she said, pulling her hand containing the piece of the Soul Catcher, "Since Lord Cahiti told us what Shiokuro did with this….I can't wait to test it out on Frost. I hope she turns into a hideous monstrosity!"

            "Whatever…"

            She glared at him, "What have you got to worry about? You're at least smart!"

            He only shrugged.

            She gave a nasty sneer. "Let's just continue with the charade and begin to exterminate the Infected Chosen…" She began to smile again, "At least _you_ can get some satisfaction out of that!"

            Once again, he only shrugged.

111

            Taichi paced the snow-covered grounds of Zeradza, his hands were behind his back and his head was staring at the ground. Jyou, Gomamon X and Agumon X were standing by one of the destroyed cabins, Hikari was leaning against the same wall, while Plotmon X was seated at her feet. Maria and Patamon were seated on a metal I-Beam, which was lying on the ground. They were all staring at Taichi with worried expressions.

            Their leader continued to pace the ground muttering to himself until he heard his cellphone began to ring. He flipped it to his ears. "Yamato? Perfect. What's going on with you? Did you get Anna yet? "

Yamato spoke through Taichi's cell phone. "Yeah, Karetu was here. We had to fight him, but he let us go…"

"He let you go?" Taichi gasped.

            "Yeah, I'm wondering why…"

"Sounds like a lucky break to me…."

Yamato sighed. "Same old Taichi…"

"Yeah…yeah…Listen, you won't believe what just happened. Shiokuro was here, he used Noriko's power to change a Chosen Council member into a digimon…

"A digimon!" Yamato gasped, "Noriko's power did that?"

"Oh yeah, I saw it myself. But listen, you're going to Ausata, right? Watch out for the Demon Lords there. If Shiokuro used that power, then there's a good chance the others can too…"

            Yamato sighed. "Perfect."

            "Yeah, I know. Just wanted to give you the heads up…"

            "Great. I'll talk to you soon."

            "Yeah, later." He clicked his phone shut and placed it in his pocket.

            "Taichi…" Agumon X said.

            "We're  staying here," he responded.

            "Why?" Hikari asked.

            "Shiokuro's here somewhere."

            "But he left," Jyou protested.

            Taichi pointed to the sky, which was still covered in an unholy shade of night, despite being the middle of the afternoon. "_That's_ why he's still here."

            Maria slowly raised her hand. "Um…I…I don't know if this helps, but it kind of _feels_ like Noriko's here…"

            Jyou blinked. "What do you mean?"

            She fidgeted. "I…lately, I mean, ever since we left Nightsun, whenever I'm around the other girls, it's like…I can feel them. It's…it's really hard to explain…"

            "Try," Taichi said. Hikari shot him a glance, but said nothing.

            "Well…Sora…Sora feels…sort of hot, like heat, and energy, Catherine feels like…like the way you feel on a warm, sunny day. Lynna's like the rolling waves of the ocean…Keeya kind of feels like…like spring, like the smell of flowers and the crunching of leaves in the fall, Anna's like a breezy day, Iduia's like being in middle of the city, with the buildings surrounding you and Noriko…she feels like…like waking up in the middle of the night and your room is pitch black, and you can hear the crickets and the owls outside." She glanced around, "That's what it feels like right now."

            "It probably has something to do with your powers, "Jyou said, "Amazing, you can actually _feel_ the others…that's just incredible."

            "Can you feel Sora and Catherine?" Taichi asked.

            "I...I sometimes get little…bursts of feeling, but…but they don't last very long.  
 She hung her head low. "I'm sorry." She looked back up and smiled, "I can try harder if you want…"

            Taichi returned her smile and placed his hands on her shoulders. "No, that's okay. We'll find them and rescue them…" He sighed deeply, "But first we've got to deal with the Demon Lords…"

            Maria grinned. "You can do it, Taichi, I know you can."

He frowned. "We should bring you back to Earth, but I don't want to take the chance of leaving and having Shiokuro go on a rampage or something like that."

            The Latino woman shook her head. "I don't want to go back to Earth, I want to stay with you."

            He smiled slightly. "I know, but as soon as we take care of Shiokuro, you're going back to Earth."

            She pouted slightly. "If that's what you want…"

            Taichi glanced around the city. "All right, now we've just got to find him…."

            "Split up?" Agumon X suggested.

            Taichi shook his head, "He's too strong for that. Stick tight, and let's go."

111

            Noriko lazily clicked the remote as she sat on Jyou's couch, Plotmon asleep in her lap. She changed the channel ten times before Keeya and her Mushmon sat down beside her. "Anything to watch?" the African woman asked.

            "No," she responded, "And Jyou've even got a satellite dish. Five hundred channels, and there's nothing on to watch."

            "You should count your blessings," Keeya responded, "We do not even have a television…"

            The Japanese woman tried not to frown. The African woman had been speaking like that since Noriko had first met her. She knew that Keeya was only trying to show her how lucky she was, but after a few days, she was beginning to sound like her mother.

            She pushed Plotmon off of her lap. The Child digimon blinked for a moment before curling up on the cushion and returning back to sleep.  Noriko stood up, straightening out her dress. "Where are you going?" Keeya asked.

            "I'm gonna go for a walk…"

            "You're gonna leave the remote, right?" Mushmon asked.

            The Japanese woman smiled slightly and threw the remote onto the couch. Keeya grabbed it and began to flip through the channels. She peered her head into the kitchen and saw Lynna and Dingo devouring a 12-inch sub. "Where did you get that?" she asked.

            Dingo mentioned to the refrigerator.  "There was plenty o' stuff inside…"

            "That's Jyou's food!"

            He shrugged. "He told us ta help ourselves…"

            "Yeah, but…" She trailed off when she noticed Lynna shoving a large piece into her mouth. She had watched her eat before, and she was surprised with how much the Australian woman ate, how she remained so thin. "You're a supermodel, right?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, and…?"

            "How do you stay so thin?"

            Lynna opened her mouth but Noriko shook her head. "Never mind. I'll be back in a little while."

            As she exited the apartment, she heard Lynna ask her Plotmon, "What's the matter with her? She in a bad mood or somethin'?"

            The brown-hared woman kept her head low as she traversed the streets. She was worried about Yamato, plain and simple. She knew he was in trouble, which he probably was considering he was going after the Demon Lords. She never felt so helpless in her entire life, she wanted nothing more then to stand by his side, give him whatever he needed, to feel his arms around her…

            The last thought made her even more depressed. She did not even know if he shared the feelings she had for him. When she gave him the medallion she bought for him, she was sure she felt a connection, but that could have just been her imagination…nothing more then a schoolgirl's crush on a celebrity…After all, what was she compared to Catherine?

            She slowed to a stop and looked up to the sky. "Yamato…"

111

            Across the Digital World, in the city of Zeradza, Taichi's group cautiously peered through every abandoned building in their search for the Demon Lord of Greed. "Where the heck did everyone go?" Maria's Patamon asked.

            "Once they found out that Shiokuro wasn't who he claimed to be, I think they left as fast as they could," Jyou explained, "After all, that's what I'd do…"

            "Really?" Gomamon X asked.

            "Well, maybe the 10-year-old me…"

            "You guys have to keep it down," Taichi said, "Or he's going to know we're here."

            "I don't know," Jyou said, "Maybe he already left."

            Taichi glanced to Maria, who was being carried on his back, "Can you feel him, I mean, like you did with Noriko?"

            "I…I never really tired before, it was always…just kind of there." She closed her eyes. She felt nothing. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She began to focus solely on the darkness she saw, cut herself off from any sound. Suddenly, she was assaulted and overwhelmed.

            "Darkness!" she gasped, "The power of darkness! Noriko's power, it's…it's here! He's close, real close!"

            A blast of energy suddenly struck the ground before them, sending a cloud of white snow into the air. They began scanning the sky for the source of the attack. It was fairly easy to see Barbamon hovering even in the pitch black sky.

            "Let's go, guys!" Agumon X shouted. He, Gomamon X and Tailmon X ran forward, each one evolving to their Fully Evolved forms.

            The demon grinned. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

            The X-digimon stopped their assault, as a wave of darkness erupted from the ground and wrapped around Maria's chest, yanking her off of Taichi's back. "Maria!" Hikari shouted.

Taichi leapt forward, but the waves of darkness pulled her higher into the air, and the young man fell into the ground. He leapt back to his feet just in time to watch as the darkness formed into the shape of Shiokuro.

            The Demon Lord of Greed chuckled madly as he gripped the Latino woman tightly. "Greetings, X-Chosen."

            "You bastard!" Taichi shouted, "Let her go!"

            "Not yet," he said, "We're going to have a little fun…first…" He grabbed Maria's head and began to twist it slowly. Her eyes were wide with fear and horror.

            "H…help me…."

            Taichi and Jyou were ready to run to her aide, but Shiokuro only shook his head. "One more step, and she's dead."

            The X-Chosen stood in fear and helplessness. The Demon Lord laughed. "Now, stay still as Barbamon kills you all-!" He was suddenly cut off as a burst of air from Patamon caught him in the face, forcing him to drop Maria. Taichi wasted no time and head-butted the Demon Lord in the chest, throwing him to the balance. He quickly lifted Maria back into his arms.

            "Go Taichi!" Metalgreymon X cheered, "Now let's get his partner!"

            The trio of X-digimon spun around to attack the demonic Barbamon, only to find that he shot over their heads and landed behind Shiokuro. The Demon Lord of Greed laughed and held up the dark-glowing crystal shard attached to his wrist. He twisted it around and jabbed it deep into his chest. He flexed his back and roared. A whirlwind of darkness erupted around him and Barbamon, exploding in a storm of black lighting. When the storm and whirlwind dropped, a new figure stood in the place of Shiokuro and Barbamon, with the body and form of the Demon Lord of Greed, but with the robes and staff of his demonic partner.

            Maria gasped as Taichi gently placed her on the ground. "Taichi!"

            "I see him," he responded flatly. Before she could respond, he ran back to stand between Jyou and Hikari. Their partners were hesitantly waiting, staring up at the grinning fused digimon.

            "You know," Jyou said, "I didn't think anything would surprise me anymore, but I think this just proved me wrong."

            "Oniichan!" Hikari gasped, "I…I'm actually s…shaking…"

            Shiokuro/Barbamon chuckled and licked his lips in a horrific manner. "As well you should, and have become the darkness!"

            "Noriko's energy did all that to him?" Jyou asked. He glanced over at Maria, who was cowering near a building, "Their energy gave us power too! Is that what's going to happen to us?"

            "It will," Shiokuro/Barbamon grinned, "I'm sure you will join me soon…"

            "Don't listen to him!" Taichi shouted, "He's just trying to freak us out, and it's not working! Attack, now!"

            The three X-digimon readied themselves to attack, but Shiokuro/Barbamon suddenly darted forward, spinning his staff in a circle in front of him at an accelerated rate, striking Metalgreymon X in the underside of the chin, throwing his head back. He pointed his staff at his chest and shot forward with great speed, digging it deep into skin. He flipped around in the air, bringing his heels into the dinosaur's already injured jaw before ripping the staff out of his chest and jumping back into the air.

            Nefertimon X fired a pure beam of light from her elaborate head-gear. Shiokuro/Barbamon quickly swung his staff around, reflecting the beam back into the angelic digimon. She was struck in the stomach, sending her into a tailspin. The fused human/digimon began to assail her with repeated swings of his weapon.

            "Tail Blade!" Anomalocarimon X placed his pincers in an x in front of him, then swung them apart, sending beams of energy into Shiokuro/Barbamon's back. The demon ceased his attack on Nefertimon X and turned his attention to the crustacean.

            "Crud," Anomalocarimon X muttered. He attempted to move out of the way, but he was not fast enough, and the human/digimon jabbed the orbed-end of his staff into one of the crustacean's eyes. He skittered back on his feet, but another swing of the fused demon's staff into his face sent him onto his side.

            "This is too easy!" he laughed, "You're no match for me at all! I am invincible!"

            "Shit!" Taichi swore, "Oh man, shit!" He grabbed the Sword of Hidokoro from the sheath on his belt, "How do I use this damn thing? How?!"

            Maria stared up at him from the edge of the battlefield. "Taichi, he needs help…Wait, maybe my power…"

            "Your power?" Patamon asked.

            "The same power that made Greymon evolve," she explained, "Maybe if I give him more…"

            "Remember what happened before?" her partner asked, "You almost…"

            The Latino woman held her hands in front of her and began to generate her special energy. She collected a ball of brown light in her hands, took aim, and fired it into Taichi's back.

            Suddenly, the Sword of Hidokoro in his hand began to glow brightly, showering the battlefield, first in a reddish orange light, then a brown light, then a reddish brown. The light continued in intensity until it eclipsed all.

            _Taichi blinked a few times, unsure of what he was seeing. The world before him was definitely not snow-covered Zeradza, it was a jungle, a hot, sweaty jungle. "What happened?" he asked, "Jyou? Hikari? Metalgreymon?"_

_"Hidokoro!" he heard someone shout. He spun his head around and saw a man in the blue suit running to him. He judged by the shotgun in his hand that he was Lucien. "Hidokoro! We've got to attack! Yuushi is calling the attack!"_

_            "Yuushi?" he asked. He looked up to the top of one of the buildings and saw a figure standing on the roof. He was dressed similar to Taichi, but had a cape flowing behind him. He held the staff that bore his name in his hands out before him._

_            "Come on!" Lucien shouted, "Order her to attack! Cer is surrounding us!"_

_            He looked over his shoulder and saw a massive dragon with two long horns hovering in the sky. He had never seen this digimon before, but a name shot through his mind. "Holydramon?"_

_            He turned back and saw an array of other dragons in the sky, and mysteriously, he knew them, the partners of the First Chosen!_

_            "Hidokoro!" Lucien shouted, "Murmixmon!"_

_            Taichi looked up to the sky and saw a demonic man hovering in the sky. He used an array of attacks to batter and bruise the dragon digimon before Imperialdramon and Yuushi confronted him._

_            "The hero king!" he heard someone cry out, "Lord Yuushi will bring us victory!"_

_            There was a loud explosion from behind, and his field of vision was covered with bright red flames. When the fire diminished, he was standing inside of a hospital hallway, specifically, standing in front of a closed wooden door. He blinked for a moment when he heard footsteps from behind. He turned around and saw an elderly woman walking towards him. Despite the wrinkled face and white hair, he recognized this woman, it was the First Chosen known as Daiyu._

_            "How are you, Hidokoro?" she asked in a lowered voice. She waved her hand. "Yes, I know, sometimes I forget. It is hard to keep everything we went through a secret, oath or not." She sighed, "I know I shouldn't be talking like this, but that oath we made on Yuushi's deathbed, was it the right thing to do?"_

_            She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't the right time to speak of such things." She smiled, "So, _Jiro_, my friend, how is everything?" She mentioned to the door._

_            "I…I don't know," he said._

_            "Yes, it is nerve-racking, isn't it? I don't have any grandchildren yet, but I can only imagine…"_

_            The door began to open and the elderly Daiyu smiled. "I will see you later, and congratulations." He did not watch her leave as a man with dark hair exited the room. When he saw Taichi, he smiled. "You can come in now."_

_            He nodded slowly and entered the room. Sitting in the hospital bed was a young woman cradling a baby in her arms. "Hi Dad," she smiled. She mentioned to the child, "Do you want to hold her?"_

_            Taichi was not sure why, but he nodded. He gently took the baby from the woman's arms and he held her in his own. "Isn't she beautiful?" the young woman asked._

_            Again, Taichi was not sure why, but he asked, "W…what's her name?"_

_            The woman smiled. "Her name will be Sora."_

_            Sora! That name caused Taichi's vision to be covered by fire once more. When it faded, he was hovering in darkness._

_            "W…what the hell just happened?" he asked himself, "T…those were Hidokoro's memories, but…h….he was Sora's grandfather?!"_

_            The dark void was suddenly covered by brown light. An image of Maria and her Centarumon appeared before him. Before he could even speak her name, her image was replaced by one of the First Chosen Montenegro, and his dragon partner, Cannondramon. The brown light began to intensify in brightness and completely merging with Taichi. He shouted out in pain as the light began to smother him…_

111

            Back in Zeradza, the X-Chosen, as well as the fused Shiokuro and Barbamon watched in wonder and horror as Taichi's body began to glow with a reddish brown light. It soon exploded into a cyclone effect, twisting and spinning. The other X-Chosen jumped back to a safe distance, all except for Metalgreymon X, who ran to his partner's side. The strange cyclone of energy pulled the dinosaur inside and began to explode with bolts of white lightning.

            "What's going on?" Hikari shouted, "What's happening in there?"

            "They're combining together!" Jyou shouted.

            Shiokuro/Barbamon stared with interest at the geyser of light. He glanced over to where Maria was cowering by one of the buildings. "Her energy did this to him, but that sword belonged to Hidokoro, it is the sword of fire. And yet that girl's power is earth…I wonder how this will turn out…"

            The cyclone of energy continued to intensify as the bolts of lightning grew stronger and more erratic. Soon the energy exploded, but who was revealed on the other side was nothing anyone suspected. Instead of a dinosaur-type digimon, or at the very least, a digimon-looking human, there was a massive two-legged creature that was a hunched-over skeleton, with the head of an elephant and complete with a gold trunk and a set of gold tusks. Sharp bones protruded from his back, and he stared into space with vacant eye sockets.

            "T…t….Taichi?" Hikari questioned.

            "Oh no!" Maria gasped, "I…I did that, didn't I?"

            "Very interesting," Shiokuro/Barbamon chuckled as he floated closer, "It appears as though the earth energy from Miss Silvano down there was incompatible with the Sword of Hidokoro. What an interesting combination. He appears to still have the X-Antibody, but looks like Skull Mammon X. Hmm, Skull Mammon X sounds good enough…"

            The undead digimon slowly turned his head to stare at his enemy. He opened his mouth and let out a terror dripped scream. He swung his mighty bone fists at the demon, who shot further into the sky with seconds to spare. Skull Mammon X screamed once more and swung at the fused human/digimon again. He continued with another swung from his other hand, followed by another, and another, and another. The demon/digimon had to move faster then he ever had before in order to dodge the wild jabs of the undead digimon.

            "Jyou…" Hikari's voice quivered, "T…this is a good thing, right?"

            He shook his head. "I don't think so," he replied, "L…let's just hope Taichi can pull himself together after this is done."

            Shiokuro/Barbamon whipped out his staff and used it to block Skull Mammon X's feverous punches. The undead digimon whipped his left hand around and the demon shot his staff over to block it, but the force of the jab was too strong and the weapon was flung out of his hand. The fused human/digimon momentarily took his eyes off of the undead digimon to watch the staff fly into the sky. Skull Mammon X swung around with his other bone fist with such incredible force that even the fused human/digimon was sent soaring into the sky.

            "You bastard!" he shouted, "Now you're gonna pay!" He dove at the undead digimon, screaming loudly. He failed to notice that Skull Mammon had caught the staff in his other hand. Shiokuro/Barbamon raised his hand back and was about to attack when the undead digimon shoved the staff so deep into the demon that it protruded out his back.

            The fused human/digimon could only cough as his body twitched. Skull Mammon raised his gold trunk and struck Shiokuro.Barbamon's head with all of his might. He then threw the fused human/digimon into the ground before lifted his foot and smashed it down on top of him with such force that the entire city shook.

            "H…he beat him!" Nefertimon X gasped.

            Skull Mammon X shot his head to the sky and roared once more. He began to smash and destroy the nearby buildings.

            "Taichi!" Hikari shouted, "Taichi, stop it!"

            Nefterimon X took to the air and flew to Skull Mammon X's side. "Stop it!" she shouted, "Stop!"

            The undead digimon turned to face her. He raised his fists to strike her, but before he could make contact, his body began to glow in the same reddish brown light as before. ""Oh man!" Jyou gasped, "What now?"

            Skull Mammon X's body continued to glow until it finally exploded. When the light faded, only Taichi and Agumon X remained, both unconscious and lying in the snow.

            "Oniichan!" Hikari shouted, running to his side. Jyou soon followed.

            "They're okay," the older man said, "They're just unconscious."

            The young woman smiled in relief, but her smile faded when she heard a shrill laughter from behind. She walked over to the source of that laughter, the fused Shiokuro/Barbamon, who was lying on the ground, the staff jutting out of his chest. Even if the staff was not attaching his abdomen to the ground, it appeared as though he was paralyzed.

            "You…actually did it…" he chuckled, "You….you actually beat me…."

            She frowned. "Yeah, and we'll do the same to the rest of your friends."

            "They're not friends, actually," he chuckled, "Just partners in crime…"

            "Where are Sora and Catherine?" Hikari asked.

            Shiokuro/Barbamon laughed again. "Weren't you paying attention? I'm greed, I don't give anything away…but…one of the other might tell you….if you can persuade them!" He stared roaring with laughter. His insane chuckling lasted only a moment before his body suddenly became rigid seconds before his data exploded into the sky.

            "One down," she muttered.

111

            Yamato Ishida, along with Michael and Mimi Barton, Yuri Rutskoy, Anna Danika and their digimon partners had traveled through the Eastern Continent before arriving at the city at it's southern-most shore, Ausata.  Mimi breathed deeply and closed her eyes as she felt the wind blow through her hair.  "Michael!"

            "Yeah, I know," he smiled.

            "What?" Yuri asked.

            "The ocean!" she exclaimed, "Oh, I wish I brought my swimsuit…"

            The Russian man scratched the back of his head, unsure if he heard her correctly. He stared at her in shock until she dropped her arms and sighed. "Yeah, I know, this isn't time for that."

            Michael grabbed her tightly. "Hey, after this is over, I'll take you to Aruba, I promise."

            "Really?"

            "Yeah, I'll rent a house and everything…"

            She gave him a glance. "We already own a house in Aruba."

            "You own a house in Aruba?" Anna's Penmon asked.

            "They have homes in California, Florida and Mexico too," Palmon X responded.

            "H…how do you afford…?" Anna asked.

            Betamon X chuckled. "Michael's a television producer and Mimi's a television star."

            "I'm not a star," she said, "I just have a cooking show…"

            "The number one show on the network," Palmon X added.

            Michael chuckled. "Tell you what, you're all invited. We'll have a party. When this is over…"

            Yamato frowned. "_When_ this is over…I admire your optimism…"

            Gabumon X gave him an odd glance. "Are you okay? You haven't been yourself lately…"

            "I'm fine," he muttered, glancing at the Airguns in the holster on his waist.

            "You're still worried about that, huh?"

            "Yeah," he confessed, "You got it."

            "Don't worry about it so much," he said, "When the time comes, you figure it out."

            The blond man did not respond as they entered the city. All of the citizens of Ausata were assembled in the center of the city. Yamato's X-Chosen silently made their way to the rear of the crowd. They were all staring up at a very tall building that Yamato was certain was not there the last time he had visited this city. Near the top of this building was a balcony, where four figure were standing, One was a young woman dressed in a purple mini skirt, and a sleeveless blue shirt adorned with waves of a darker blue. Her hair was pulled into a tight strand behind her head. There was a muscular young man with a buzz-cut of curly brown hair and dressed in a pair of brown sweat pants, a short-sleeve green shirt and a white button-down shirt. The other two figures were draped in capes of green and black.

            "Demon Lords!" Yuri gasped.

            "Quiet!" Yamato ordered, "And keep your head down, don't let them see us."

            The woman spoke first. "Citizens of Ausata, I have news from the Goddess of Water and the God of Forest!" She nodded to the two caped figures. The one in green stepped forward, "Thank you Miss Frost, Mr. Pierce. I and the God of Forest…" She mentioned to the one in black, who gave a stiffened yawn, "Know what's going on here, the waters have stopped because of the virus you call the Second Black Death, it has permeated into the Digital World itself. In order to save this world, we must exterminate the Infected Chosen we have imprisoned here. If you wish for the waters to wave once again, we must exterminate the Infected Chosen, we must at once!"

            The crowd was silent for a moment before they began to cheer. Anna had to cover her ears at the sound, and she collapsed to her knees. Yuri knelt down and hugged her tightly. Mimi walked over and knelt down as well. "Don't blame them," she said, "They're just doing what they think is right, I mean, if your source of income was suddenly stopped, and a god came out of nowhere and said if you want your money back, just kill a group of people that isn't well liked, what would you do?"

            "She's right," Michael said, "Ausata's economy is completely based on fishing and tourism. If there's no water current, then the fish can swim, and if there's no waves, there goes the surfing and swimming. They're just worried about their livelihood."

            Yamato's eyes followed the top of the building down to the base, where it was connected to a large metal fence, encircling an equally as large area. He could see rows of cabin-like bunkers, as well as one long, metal building.

            "We've got to find a way to sneak inside of there."

            "How?" Yuri asked.

            The blond man rubbed his chin as he surveyed the outer perimeter of the concentration camp. There were guards positioned every few feet around the inside of the fence. Even if they were able to sneak inside, they would not make it very far. "Well, here's our choices, we can either burst our way inside and hope for the best…"

            "With all those guards?" Mimi asked.

            "Look at their digimon partners," he said, "They're all Octomons, _regular_ Octomons, _Adult _regular Octomons, our _X-Antibody-Modified-Fully Evolved_ partners are gonna kick their assess. But, we can either burst in, or we can sneak in undercover…"

            "How?" Gabumon X asked.

            He sighed. "I'm still working on that."

            "Um, I have an idea," Anna spoke up.

            The others turned to her and waited, but after they realized that she could not _see_ them waiting, Yamato cleared his throat. "Um, go ahead…"

            She nodded. "Why don't we steal some uniforms or something…?"

            "That might not be a bad idea," Michael said, "If we can hide our faces and digimon partners, because, unfortunately, they're gonna spot us right away."

            Yamato nodded, then shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we're going through the front door…" He turned to Gabumon X with a smile, "Let's just hope it's not electrified."

            "Okay," Yuri said, "Let's get started…"

            Yamato shook his head. "Not you."

            "What?" he gasped.

            "You need to take Anna somewhere safe."

            "But…"

            "Listen," he said, "We're hoping to free Iduia, along with hundreds of others, but it's not going to do us any good if we lose Anna too. Just keep her somewhere safe, okay?"

            The Russian man hesitated, but eventually nodded. "If that is what you wish…"

            "I think that would be best."

            "Please," Anna said, "I..if you think you need him…"

            "We need _you_," Yamato said, "If everything the Machina Codex and Mina told us, we need you, and the others, more then anything. So, Yuri, you need to protect her, more then anything."

            He nodded again. "Yes, I understand."

            Anna smiled. "Good luck to you all."

            "Thanks," Betamon X muttered, "I think we're gonna need it."

            "We'll catch up with you later, with Iduia," Yamato said, as he and the rest of his team ran towards the fences of the concentration camp. When they were out of ear-shot, Gabumon X turned to his partner.

            "You didn't want him along because he doesn't have a Fully Evolved partner, right?"

            "Yeah," he sighed, "We need to move in fast and quick, I'm just afraid that Kuwagamon X won't be able to handle the number of Octomons we'll be fighting. We've got to knock them out right away."

            "Hey, I'm not questioning you," he said.

            The blond man smiled. "Thanks."

            They approached the fence, but were stopped by a guard and his Octomon standing outside of the entrance. He held up his hand, and the X-Chosen slowed to a halt. "This is a classified area," he said, "Please leave at once."

            The X-Chosen did not respond.

            The Chosen Council guard reached for his digivice; his partner was standing behind him. "I'm going to tell you again, leave now!"

            Again, Yamato's group did not respond.

            "This is your last warning!" he shouted.

            This time, Yamato nodded at the others. The three humans grabbed their X-digivices and their partners began to glow brightly. They each evolved to their Fully Evolved levels and bashed through the fence. As Yamato suspected, it had been electrified, and the sparks shot harmlessly into the sand-caked ground.

"It's the X-Chosen!" the guard's Octomon shouted.

            The guard began to shout into his communicator. "Code Red! Code Red! We have intruders! Code-!"

A quick flick of Megaseadramon X's tail sent the Octomon tumbling into his partner, but there were plenty of octopus digimon to take his place. More then two dozen Octomons and their partners came running at the sound of the alert.  Lillymon X led the attack, blasting her Flower Cannon into the center of the group, spreading them apart. Megaseadramon X executed his King Javelin attack, using his horn to slash through three Octomons, reverting them to their Shakomon forms. Weregarurumon X leapt through a pair of Ocotomons, using his claws to slash them back to their child forms.

One of the female guards ordered her Octomon to wrap one of his tentacles around Weregarurumon X's head, but the wolf grabbed the tail with his muscular arms and used it to swing the octopus around, smacking him into more Octomons before throwing him into the ground. Another Octomon flung up behind the wolf, but a quick blast from Lillymon X's cannon saved him. Another slash from Megaseadramon X's King Javelin attack took care of the remaining guards.

            There was no one in the camp yard, so the X-Chosen began to throw open the cabin doors as fast as they good. The Level 1 Infected Chosen began to spill out of the bunkers and run to safety as best they could.

            Every cabin that Mimi open, she scanned the fleeing Chosen for any sign of her missing friend. "Iduia!" she shouted, "Iduia!"

            She received her reply when Iduia's Kokuwamon fluttered in front of her eyes. She twisted her head around and saw the Brazilin Chosen running towards her. "Iduia!" she shouted.

            "Mimi…" she said. The two young women embraced one another tightly.

            "I'm so glad you're safe," Mimi said, "But we've got to get out of here before…" She trailed off as she stared over the Brazilin's shoulders and saw Raven Frost and her Blue Meramon walking towards them. The ice digimon was forming a ball of ice flame in his hand and was about to launch it at Iduia's back, but he was suddenly struck in the side by a blast of energy. All eyes turned to the side. Yamato and Weregarurumon X were charging to the them from the right, while Megaseadramon X was heading from the left.

            "You might want to stop," Frost said, "Or Miss Tachikawa and Infected Chosen Number BB145 are going to have their lives ended…"

            Mimi and Iduia looked over their shoulders and saw Sebastian Pierce and his Dino Beemon partner standing a few feet behind them. The inset/dinosaur digimon held his three pointed claws at their backs.

            "It's three against two, you know," Weregarurumon X said, "You're outnumbered…"

            A familiar female voice sounded through the camp. "Maybe _we_ can help in that aspect…"

            The Chosen Council members bowed slightly as Amikyo and Enk exited the large building and entered the camp itself. Mimi stared at the Demon Princess as she stood beside Frost. Enk took up position at Pierce's side.

            "So," Yamato said, "You two are here? Where's Sora and Catherine?"

            "They're enjoying the hospitality of Lord Cahiti at our base," Enk said.

            "Don't tell them that!" Amikyo shouted.

            Yamato chuckled. "How'd you two make it as Demon Lords, huh? You're pathetic!"

            The Demon Princess began to show signs of anger, but calmed herself. "We are Demon Lords because of the corrupted crests we carry, I have the Crest of Envy…" She eyed Mimi, "Created when _you_ were in the Gekomons castle."

            "M…me?" she asked.

            "That's right," she said, "You were envious of the life of a princess, and let your jealousy take over." She turned to her partner, "Enk!"

            "Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, "I have the Crest of Sloth, which came from Jyou."

            "Jyou?" Michael asked.

            "Yeah, from the time he was at Digitamimon's diner. He was forced to work there, and then dragged Yamato into it. They could have easily left, but Jyou was too cowardly to do so…"

            "He was honest!" Yamato shouted, "He didn't want to leave until he worked off his dept."

            Enk shrugged. "Hey, I'm just telling you what happened."

"What are you even doing here?" Mimi asked, "Why do you care about what the Chosen Council's doing?"

            "Our reasons are our own," Amikyo said, "And quite frankly, you're getting in the way. We all had a good laugh watching you run around like clueless little kids, but it's not funny any more, it pathetic."

            "What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Mimi gasped.

            The Demon Princess chuckled. "You're just like little puppets, but I think it's time we cut your strings…" She nodded at Enk.

            "Hey," Pierce said, "Does that mean you're gonna fight?"

            Amiyko and Enk suddenly attacked, the Demon Princess shoved her blue colored crystal into Frost's chest and Enk shoved his green colored crystal into Pierce's chest. Both Chosen Council members began to glow brightly as a maelstrom of light whirled around them. Blue Meramon was pulled into Frost's glowing circle while Dino Beemon was yanked into Pierce's light.

            Both lights intensified until they exploded with wind and sound. Standing in Pierce's place was a giant horse made out of wood while Frost and Blue Meramon had been transformed into a mermaid with metal armor and carrying a large golden anchor.

            "I don't believe it!" Amikyo shouted, staring at the transformed-Frost, "You're suppose to be ugly, how can you be pretty! How?!"

            "You really need to calm down," Enk said. He examined the transformed-Pierce. "I think I'll call you Trojamon…"

            Amikyo grumbled as she surveyed the transformed-Frost, "I guess Mermaimon will have to do…"

            The X-Chosen stared in awe, their jaws hanging open. "I…I can't believe it…" Mimi gasped, "I…How….?"

            "It's just like Taichi said," Yamato exclaimed, "They used the powers they stole from the girls…"

            "That's right," Amikyo chuckled, "I have the power of Water, taken from Lynna Jeffry of Australia, while Enk has the power of Forest, taken from Keeya Genet of the Sudan."

            "You stopped the ocean's waves, didn't you?" Megaseadramon X shouted, "You're fooling everyone into believe that you're a god!"

            Amikyo chuckled.

            "It's not funny!" Lillymon X gasped, "You're tricking everyone!"

            "Why?" Mimi asked.

            "Isn't it obvious?" Yamato asked, "They're _not_ divine, they just want to feel like they are." He eyed Amikyo, "Isn't that right? You're nothing but a jealous pretender, huh?"

            The Demon Princess began to shake with rage. "Mermaimon, kill them!"

            Enk sighed and crossed his arms. "I guess that's our cue. Go ahead, Trojamon, kill them, or whatever…"

            Mimi turned to Iduia. "Run and hide."

            "But…" she began.

            "Go, now!"

            She hesitated, but nodded. She and Kokuwamon ran from the battlefield and stood behind one of the cabin/bunkers. Mimi watched her flee, and turned back just in time to see Mermaimon use her large tail fins to swim through the air over to Lillymon X. Before the flower child could attack, Mermaimon swung her gold anchor around with surprising speed and smacked her in the chest.

            Megaseadramon X shot to her aide, but Mermaimon maneuvered through the air like she was swimming in water. She easily maneuvered around the serpent's attack and smacked his back with her anchor as well. By this time, Lillymon X had recovered and shot to attack the mermaid's back. Mermaimon used her anchor like a wielding battering ram. She twisted around using her anchor to slash across the flower woman's face before spinning back around to knock into Megaseadramon X's chin. Both X-digimon fell to the ground, but managed to straighten themselves out and hovered in the air. They paused for only a moment before shooting back at their enemy.

            "You never learn, do you?" Mermaimon chuckled. She brought her anchor behind her back, "Take this, Northern Cross Bomber!" She flung her anchor at Lillymon X and Megaseadramon X with all of her might. The weapon acted like a boomerang, pounding into the serpent before striking the flower woman and twisting back to the mermaid's hands.

            Weregarurumon X had his hands full with Trojamon. The wooden horse resembled was a walking tank, with a giant cannon attached to his chest and smaller cannons on his back. Every time the wolf attempted to get close, Trojamon fired a blast from his cannon, throwing him to the ground. He was forced to attack from a safe distance, unfortunately, his attacks were not long-ranged based. Even his Kaiser Nail attack was more effective at close distance.

            The wolf stared at the wooden horse as he danced slightly on his feet. He darted to the right, but Trojamon's cannon fired. He darted back to the left, but another blast from the horse's cannon sent him leaping into the air. He managed to execute a series of flips and land on Trojamon's snout with all of his weight. If the hose was harmed, he did not show it.

            Weregarurumon X balanced for as long as he could, but unfortunately, gravity soon attacked him and pulled him back to the ground. Once he was in front of Trojamon's chest cannon, the hose fired with all of his might, blasting the wolf at point-blank range.

            "Weregarurumon!" Yamato shouted.

            "Oh stop it!" Trojamon said, "Just accept that you're finished, take it like a man!"

            Yamato blinked a few times. "You're still…you?"

            "You betcha!" he laughed, "I've got the power, and I'm gonna be known as the one who took down Yamato Ishida!"

            Weregarurumon X roared and leapt back to his feet. He ran forward, his claws primed to attack. However, Tojamon suddenly leapt into the air and fired from all of his cannons. "Surprise Cannon!"

            Blasts of projectiles slashed across Weregarurumon X's body, causing him to roar out in pain. Tojamon's attack also blasted into Lillymon X and Megaseadramon X, sending them crashing into the ground.

            "Yes!" Amikyo laughed, "This is great! We're gonna win! All right!"

            "This isn't good," Yamato gasped, "This isn't good!" He grabbed the Airgun of Lucien from its holster. He pointed it at Mermaimon and Trojamon. He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He pulled it again and again, but still nothing.

            "Why won't this damn thing work!" he screamed, "Why?!"

111

            "Yamato?"

            Keeya blinked as she turned her head to her fellow Daughter of the First. "Noriko?"

            The Japanese woman rose from the couch in Jyou's apartment. "Yamato, I…I heard Yamato…"

            "What?" Keeya's Mushmon asked.

            "I heard Yamato's voice," she said.

            "You heard Yamato's voice?" her Plotmon asked.

            She placed her hands on her chest, "He's in trouble…"

            The African woman studied her strangely. "Are you feeling okay?"

            "I'm feeling fine!" she snapped, "Yamato's in trouble, and I'm going to help him!" She ran down the hall and into Jyou's computer room. She was soon followed by Keeya and their digimon partners. They found her standing at his desktop computer, reaching for her digivice.

            "Don't!" the African woman shouted, grabbing her tightly, "You can't!"

            "Yamato needs me!" she shouted, struggling to point the digivice at the screen, "He needs me!"

            "You can't!" Keeya shouted, "You don't know what's he's doing! You could be brought right into the middle of a battle! You could be killed!"

            The Japanese woman took a deep breath and calmed herself. "But…"

            "We'll figure something out together…" Keeya began.

            Noriko shoved her digivice at the monitor. "Yamato!" she shouted. A blast of dark energy erupted from her body, flowed down her arm and into her digivice, where it shot into the monitor and vanished.

111

In the Digital World, Yamato's X-digivice began to beep and activate. "Oh what now?" He lifted it to his face just as a beam of black light emerged from the screen and struck the Airgun of Lucien. The weapon glowed a bright white light before changing to a dark black light, then a grayish shade of both. The light exploded, bathing him in the gray light. It grew in intensity, soon grabbing Weregarurumon X and pulling him inside. The light began to spin in a whirlwind of energy and power.

            "Yamato?" Mimi gasped, "Yamato?"

            "Oh crap!" Michael shouted, "Now what?"

            The gray light continued in intensity before exploding, revealing a new figure standing inside, that of a large blue wolf with jagged claws and a sharp, two-pronged tail. "Yamato?" Mimi asked again.

            "He and Weregarurumon X fused together," Lillymon X gasped. Her eyes darted to Mermaimon and Trojamon. "Just like them…"

            "He looks kind of like Cerberumon," Megaseadramon X said, "But different."

            "Probably still has the X-Antibody," Lillymon added, "Cerberumon X…"

            "It…was…Noriko…" Iduia shouted as best she could.

            "Noriko?" Michael asked.

            "It…was…her…energy…I…could…feel…it…"

            "Weird-o," Amiyko said, "He fused too. What does that mean?"

            "Who cares," Enk yawned, "Just let our servants kill him."

            She frowned. "All right, Mermaimon, Trojamon, tear him apart."

            The two merged digimon moved forward. Cerberumon X roared and launched into battle. Trojamon armed his weapons. "Surprise Cannon!" he shouted, firing all of his cannons at once. This time, however, Cerberumon X was able to easily navigate through the projectiles before jabbing his sharp claws into the horse's snout.

            The wolf man heard a female voice shout out behind him. He dislodged his claws from Trojamon and executed a back-flip, landing gracefully on the ground. Mermaimon began to wag her fin and shot through the air. She twisted her body around then threw her anchor at the wolf. "Northern Cross Bomber!"

            Cerberumon X waited until the spinning weapon was closer before he leapt into the air and managed to grab the anchor at the end and redirected it to smash into Trojamon's head, sending him crashing onto his side. He released the anchor and leapt on top of the fallen horse.

            Trojamon struggled to rise to his feet, but Cerberumon X began to repeatedly jab his claws into the horses side. After five minutes of this, he opened his mouth and dug his sharp teeth into Trojamon's neck. The horse's legs twisted and flailed before slowly coming to a stop. His data vanished a moment later.

            Mermaimon stared in horror. "Y…you're a barbarian!"

            Cerberumon X glared at her. She had caught her anchor when it had swung back to her. She gripped it tightly and shot forward. Cerberumon X roared, "Hellfire!" He spit out of his mouth a flame of hot green. She attempted to roll out of the way, but the fireball smashed into her chest and instantly enveloped her body. Moments later, her data could be seen floating to the sky.

            "No!" Amikyo shouted, "That's it, I'm going in!"

            "Why?" Enk yawned, "They beat our warriors, let's just call it a day."

            She glared at him. "You're so lazily!" she shouted.

            He shrugged. "That's my crest. I'm leaving, have fun." He vanished in a burst of blue light. Amikyo stared at the X-Chosen, then vanished in her own green light.

            Cerberumon X turned to the X-Chosen and began to walk forward. "Uh oh," Michael said.

            "Y…amato…" Mimi stuttered, "I…It's us, remember? Your friends…?"

            The wolf digimon roared and shot forward. He raised his claw but seconds before it would have struck the brown-haired woman, his body suddenly became like a statue. He twitched for a moment before he exploded in a burst of the mysterious gray light. When it faded, Yamato and Gabumon X were lying unconscious on the sandy-ground.

111

            They all woke up a few hours later with splitting headaches so bad they were not even able to stand. As Taichi lay on one of the couches in one of the buildings in Zeradza, his head covered by a wet cloth. Agumon X was laid out similarly in the lounge chair next to the couch.

            His cellphone began to ring. He reluctantly placed the device near his ear. "Hello?"

            "Taichi, it's Yamato, s'up man?"

            "I just got turned into an uncontrollable digimon that destroyed Shiokuro."

            "Really?" his friend asked, "Same here. How did you change?"

            "Maria's energy," he said, "She gave it to me, but I guess it wasn't compatible with the Sword of Hidokoro. I had a…short circuit, but I think I'm all right now…"

            "Yeah, I know," he responded, "Iduia said it was Noriko. She sent me her energy through the Digital Gate and my Airguns of Lucien went nuts."

            Taichi smiled. "Um, speaking of which, did you have a weird…dream before you changed?"

            "Yeah, I did…" he said, "I saw Lucien's memories…"

            "I saw Hidokoro's. But, Hidokoro wasn't his real name, it was Jiro."

            "Yeah, Lucien's real name was Duval…."

            "And let me guess, Duval is Catherine's grandfather."

            "That's right! How did you…?"

            "Because Hidokoro is Sora's grandfather! The First Chosen aren't as old as we thought! But why didn't Sora say anything about her grandfather…?"

            "Maybe she doesn't know," Yamato suggested, "I mean, it seems really weird that she wouldn't say anything…"

            "Yeah, but listen, you took care of Ausata?"

            "Yup, we're all good down here."

            "Well, then you're gonna like this, I need you guys to just hang out down there for a little while."

            "Hey, sun and sand, no problem, but why?"

            "We're going to sneak in the Chosen Council's main base, and hopefully we'll get the location of Sora and Catherine, but first I want to take Maria back to Earth."

            "Yeah, Mimi's gonna bring Iduia, Anna and Yuri to Tokyo too, but we'll stay here as long as you need us too. Vacation time!"

            Taichi grinned. "Yeah, you're welcome. See ya soon. Later."

111

On the Island of the Center, situated in the middle of the four main continents of the Digital World, the Digitalatri priestess, Chihi Miayag stood on the shoreline of the island, staring up at the evening sky. Behind her was the assembled masses of the Digitalatri congregation.

"Our mission is almost completed," she said, turning to face them," and when the Digital God himself appears in this world, all non-believes were be cast into eternal fire, and only the just will walk this world!"

            The crowd began to cheer. She threw the Staff of Yuushi into the sky. "This world will be ours!"

_Preview: Chihi Miayag, the priestess of the Digitalatri, a mystery even to those closest to her. Questions surround her entire being, how did she become the Priestess of the Digital God? What is her connection to the Yagami family? Who is she? The answers begin as the Book of Famie ends and the Book of Revelations now begins._

If anyone wants some clues as to figuring out Miayag, pay attention to the descriptions of her, especially in relation to color. Color and names are very important to this tale. Well, see you next time. Peace out.


	15. The Book of Revelation: Chapter 1

_How's it going? My name is Lynna Jeffry, and I guess I'm now a hero. Well, maybe that's not too accurate. Taichi, Yamato, Jyou, they're the heroes. Me, I'm just someone that's got powers connected to water I guess it's because I'm descended from the First Chosen._

_            But I wonder why I even had these powers. Especially since that weird energy first appeared after I was infected with the Second Black Death. I lost my arm to that damn virus, and I was afraid that my job as a model would go down the drain. They took some kind of pity on me and hired me as part of their 'different outreach' program, mainly that was just their BS for using models that weren't exactly the 'typical' ones. Like they were just paying lip service to the equal rights people. _

_            I did get offended, but I needed a paycheck, so I forced myself to do it. To vent my frustrations, I guess I took it out on the X-Chosen. I mean, I hated them. They didn't have to worry about getting infected, they would _never _have to worry! When I met Dingo for the first time, I kind of took my anger out on him. He still helped me when Karetu attack me. We kind of hung out for the next few days and then we went to Nightsun together. Since then, we've been caught up in this entire ordeal._

_            I was in Jyou's apartment when Noriko sent her energy to Yamato. He had been fighting to liberate Ausata from Amikyo and Enk of the Demon Lords, as well as Raven Frost and Sebastian Pierce of the Chosen Council. Amiyko and Enk used their powers they stole from me and Keeya to change Frost into Mermaimon and Pierce into Trojamon. Noriko's power caused a malfunction with Yamato's guns and turned him into Cerberumon X. _

_            Taichi, meanwhile, had been fighting Shiokuro, and Maria used her power on him. That caused another malfunction with his sword and turned him into Skull Mammon X. He had enough power to destroy Shiokuro and his Barbamon partner, but he lost control for a moment. Man, if that's what our powers can do, should we even keep using them?_

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Revelation:_

_Chapter I_

--

            Taichi's group of X-Chosen had spent the night in Zeradza, and were ready to move the next morning.

            Taichi glanced at his sister. "Are you sure?"

            Hikari nodded. "Yes, Taichi."

            "But, Mom…"

            "…will be happier if you see her," she responded. She leaned forward and added in a whisper, "And I think Maria will be happier if you take her."

            "But…"

            "You really don't need to worry," she said, "We'll be fine."

            He hesitated. "Hikari…The Chosen Council's base isn't somewhere you can just waltz into, it's like the Imperial Palace or the White House in America! It's packed full of security, and not only that, but it's in the middle of an island! Form Magnum Island is a fortress!"

            "Don't worry," Jyou said, "We won't go storming into any danger. We'll just…you know…scout out the area."

            "I don't know…."

            The younger Yagami gently hugged his arm. "We'll be fine, Oniichan," she smiled, "And if there's any trouble, we'll just run."

            "Promise?" he asked.

            She nodded. "Yes, I think Mom would really like to see you."

            He sighed softly. "All right."

            She hugged him tightly. "We'll see you later tonight then, okay?"

            He nodded. "Yeah, all right." He walked over to where Maria was waiting for him. He lifted her into his arms. "Ready?"

            She nodded. "Yes."

            He walked to the Digital Gate of Zeradza, which was located near the main entrance of the small city. "Ready to go home?" he asked.

            "Not really," she pouted.

            "I know you're upset," he said, "But this really is for your own safety. "

            "I know, I know," she sighed.

            Taichi chuckled as he pointed his X-digivice, which had merged with the Sword of Hidokoro, at the small television monitor. The gate soon exploded with light, pulling Taichi, Maria and their digimon partner back to Earth.

            Once they had left, Plotmon turned to her partner. "Why didn't you want to go with him?"

            She sighed. "After Mom was….you know…I spent the entire day with her, because I knew we had to come to the Digital World to liberate these Relocation Camps. But Taichi….he needs to spend a little more time with her…alone…."

            Jyou chuckled. "Well, I don't know how much 'alone' time he's gonna get since Mimi's bringing Anna and Iduia to Tokyo too."

            Hikari chuckled slightly. "I wonder what I just got him into…"

111

            Mimi hummed to herself as she knocked on the door to the Jyou's apartment. It opened a second later as Keeya appeared in the doorway. "Mimi!" she grinned. Her eyes darted over the other woman's shoulders.

            Mimi smiled and moved aside to reveal Iduia, Anna and their digimon partners. The African woman could not contain her excitement as she dove forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Iduia, before embracing Anna. "I am so happy to see you alive!" she shouted. She shook her head slightly, "Sorry, that did not come out how I meant it…"

            "No, it is okay," Anna smiled, reaching out. Keeya helped her blind friend by grabbing her hands, "I am happy that I am not dead either…"

            Keeya noticed for the first time that Yuri was standing there as well. "Oh, welcome," she bowed, "Glad to see that you are safe as well." She grinned, "Oh, please, come inside, come inside."

            The group made their way through the doorway. Keeya mentioned to the kitchen, "We were just sitting down to breakfast. I did not know you would be coming so early, or I would have made extra…"

            They peered into the room and saw Dingo and Lynna seated around the table. The Australian man nodded slightly. "Yuri, dude, what's up?"

            He gave a slight wave. "Good morning."

            "Dude, don't be so formal!"

            Lynna cast him a glace. "And you don't be so rude! Come on, this isn't even our home!"

            Mimi gave Keeya a slight smile. "And you've had to put up with them all this time?"

            She shrugged slightly. "Well, Noriko has been helping, but…"

            "What?"

            "After she found out what happened when she gave Yamato her energy, she went home kind of depressed. Maybe she will be feeling better today."

            Mimi smiled. "Yamato's fine, so I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that."

            Keeya nodded. "She usually comes around ten or eleven, so she'll be here soon." Once she had spoken those words, there was a knock on the door. She gave Mimi a slight smile and went to answer the door. Standing in the hall was a group of familiar young adults. "Taichi," she frowned, "You said you would be here an hour ago."

            "Hey, we had to get Maria's wheelchair," he protested, wheeling the Latino woman inside the apartment, "And we met someone on the way…"

            "Hey!" a voice shouted, "Don't blame this on me! _You're_ the one that claimed to know a shortcut!"

            "That would be Noriko, correct…?" Anna asked.

            "How did you know?" the black-haired woman asked, pushing Maria's wheelchair inside.

            The Russian woman smiled slightly. "Your voice told me…"

            Plotmon chuckled. "I guess that's your way of telling us that you knew it was her because of her temper, right?"

            Anna only laughed slightly.

            Maria grinned as she was lead into the center of the apartment. She threw her hands into the air and laughed. "This is great! We're all together again!" She suddenly gasped and turned to Taichi. "Oh, I…I'm so sorry…"

            Mimi frowned. "Sora and Catherine..." She broke into a smile, "But…Taichi's got a plan right?" She turned to the bushy-haired young man. He was staring out the window at the city-filled skyline. He appeared to be completely oblivious to her.

            "Taichi?"

            He turned to her. "What? Did you say something?"

            "Uh…your plan for getting Sora and Catherine…?"

            He smiled. "Oh, right. Well, me, Jyou, Hikari are gonna sneak into Form Magnum Island…"

            "Where?" Dingo asked.

            "The Capital of the Chosen Council," Taichi explained, "Now, we're gonna sneak inside and hopefully find out where the Demon Lords are hiding. Sora and Catherine should be there…"

            "Let's hope, right?" Keeya asked.

            "Of course they'll be there!" Maria called, "They'll be there, and they'll be safe."

            Taichi gave a slight smile. "I'm gonna give you guys some time to catch up."

            "Where are you going?" Mimi asked.

            "I'm going to go out for a while. Coming Agumon?"

            "Uh…yeah…" His dinosaur partner trotted after him.

            "What's with him?" Lynna asked after the door was closed.

            "I think he's worried about his mother," Maria's Patamon said, "At least, that's what Hikari thinks…"

            "He has a lot of suffering, doesn't he?" Keeya asked.

            Mimi nodded. "Yeah, he does, but if he would just _tell_ someone…"

            "He's not like that, right?" Palmon X added, "I mean, for as long as I can remember, he's always acted like that."

            "Yeah," she sighed, "Taichi is…unfortunately, Taichi…" She placed her hands together. "All right, girls, what have you been up to?"

111

            In the mysterious desert temple, the remaining six Demon Lords stood in a semi-circle deep within the ancient building. Standing before them were Victor Von Schmidt and Madelyne Osborn of the Chosen Council. "So," Cahiti, the Demon King said, placing his hands behind his back, "Shiokuro has been killed?"

            "That's right," Enk said, "Reports from the Chosen Council's surveillance indicate this, as well as the fact that Schmidt's Relocation Camps in Zeradza and Ausata have been liberated by the X-Chosen."

            The Security General of the Chosen Council threw him an evil glare. "Are you blaming this on me? I haven't had anything to do with this operation!"

            Seiduka nodded. "I hate to, but I must back him up. He and I have been planning the assault on the Center Island."

            "No one is blaming anyone," Cahiti said, raising his hands, "Now please, stay calm. Our true enemies are the X-Chosen."

            "Who are getting to be a serious problem, aren't they?" Lucemon asked.

            "Yes, they are."

            "Maybe it's time we finally finished them off for good," Seiduka suggested.

            "For good?" Osborn asked, "What are ya talking about?"

            The Demon King sighed. "My original plan was to have Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert believe that Yagami, Ishida and the rest of their X-Chosen had died. Then, when they discovered that they were alive, they would be so relieved they would hand over their power to them without question, and then, with the Soul Catcher, I would take that power and at last be complete."

            "Wait a second," Karetu said, "That's why you ordered us not ta kill the X-Chosen?"

            He nodded. "Yes, because, you see, the First Chosen had the abilities over the elements that make up the Digital World. Those First Chosen were warriors, divine soldiers, but, their descendants, their granddaughters, are not. Their powers should allow their partners to evolve to their Final Level forms, but the Second Black Death has taken that ability. That disease is so invasive that even with their great power, their partners can only reach the Adult Level. They are not warriors, and so their power can only be used in another body, namely, the X-Chosen. And as my lovely Queen Asro has reported to me, Yagami and Ishida have Hidokoro's Sword and Lucien's Gun, but Yagami currently holds Maria Silvano's Earth powers and Ishida has Noriko Kawada's Darkness powers. The weapons are not compatible with their powers, and so those weapons will be calling for their true powers, Sora Takenouchi's power of Fire and Catherine Rupert's power of Light."

            "I get it," Karetu smirked, "And those weapons will be useless if Yagami and Ishida are dead."

            "Exactly," Cahiti said, "But, Yagami was able to kill Shiokuro, and that's not a feat that should be easily accomplished. They are becoming too dangerous. Maybe it's time to kill them…"

            "Actually," Schmidt said, raising his hand, "If your plan is to trick JO223 and FP312, that is, Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert, into giving you their powers, then maybe I have an idea…"

            The Demon King grinned. "I will be happy to hear it, but for the moment, maybe it would be a good idea to….at least lower the numbers of the X-Chosen."

            "You need volunteers?" Amikyo asked, "'Cause I would love to rip Mimi Tachikawa's hear out of her chest!"

            Cahiti raised an eyebrow. "Really? That outburst is something I would attribute to Seiduka."

            The Demon General gave an angry sneer.

            "I want to kill her," Amikyo said, "I want to snap that neck of hers! Once she's dead, _I'll_ be the prettiest, I'll be the most popular, I'll be the greatest!"

            The Demon King laughed. "I get it, it's nothing more then a cat fight, huh?"

            Asro gave him a glare, but said nothing.

            Osborn glanced at her PDA. "We have reports that Tachikawa is in Tokyo, along with RM187 and BB145."

            The Demon King sighed. "Refresh my memory…"

            "Uh, Anna Danika and Iduia Ramiro. "

            "Let me go, please!" Amikyo shouted, "I want to kill her so badly!"

            "Very well," Cahiti said, "But, you are fighting only one X-Chosen, if you lose, don't bother coming back!"

            She hesitated a moment before nodding. "Yes."

111

            The Center Island, the base of the empire of the First Chosen, was currently occupied by the Digitalatri. Hiroshi Shibya and Keiko Shingu, the leaders of the Digitalatri Army, were standing atop a large balcony that overlooked a giant clearing outside of the First Chosen's temple. Down below, Takashi Yuske and James Masters were training a group of Chosen, teaching them battle ranks, attack patterns and evolution abilities.

            Tatum marched down the hall to them. "Do we have a status report?" she asked.

            Keiko responded. "Yes, we're making good progress. Our army should be fully trained within days."

            Hiroshi's Piedmon nodded, "We'll be able to lead a full attack of the Digital World soon."

            Hiroshi placed a hand on Keiko's shoulders. "Lady Miayag will have her holy crusade," she added.

            Tatum nodded and smiled. "Very well, I shall inform our High Priestess." She gave a bow and exited the hallway.

            "She's certainly developed a high attitude, hasn't she?" Keiko asked, "Look at the way she's even started talking."

            "Lady Miayag ordained her as a priestess of Digitalatri," Pinocchimon said, "She's Miayag second-in-command."

            Keiko only grumbled

Tatum navigated the halls of the ancient Castle of the First Chosen before arriving at the room of the High Priestess, Chihi Miayag. She nodded slightly at Vicente, who was standing guard. She lightly knocked on the door. "Enter."

            Tatum entered the room, her priestess cape flowing behind her ankle-length red dress. Miayag was standing in the center of her room, draped in an orange robe that showed more then a hint of her near-transparent nightgown that hugged her curves perfectly. Witchmon was lying in her own bed in the corner. "What is it?" Miayag asked.

            "We will be ready to claim our destiny within a matter of days, my lady," she bowed.

            Miayag grinned. "Excellent."

            Tatum nodded and exited the door, closing the door behind her. Once her subordinate had left, the Priestess's smile faded. "Something wrong?" Witchmon asked.

            She sighed. "That woman…Taichi and Hikari Yagami's mother…"

            Her partner frowned. "Yes, the woman that we…"

            Miayag held her forehead. "Why does her specter haunt me so? I cannot sleep!"

            "Maybe you just feel guilty about what happened?"

            "Perhaps," she said. She sighed. "I must uncover this mystery, I must know!"

            Witchmon stared at her curiously. "So what are we gonna do?"

            She began to pace the floor. "I…I…." She clenched her fists tightly. "We must seek her, we must ask her for forgiveness."

            "If that's what you want…"

            She shed her nightwear before grabbing her familiar white dress. She slid her arms into the openings and wrapped the remainder of the article of clothing around her body. She attached her pink cape to her neck before placing her pink heeled shoes on her feet. She marched to the door and opened it slightly. "Vicente!"

            The Digitalatri soldier bowed. "Yes?"

            "I am going to Earth."

            He nodded. "Then I shall…"

            "This is something I must do alone," she said, "You are to remain here, understand?"

            "But, my lady…"

            "If there is trouble, then I shall call you."

            He nodded. "If that is what you wish…"

            She nodded. "I shall return soon." She shut the door before he could answer. She turned to her partner. "Ready?"

            Witchmon raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were going undercover…"

            "We are."

            "And you're going like that?"

            She glanced down at her Priestess uniform. She frowned and shed the clothes as quickly as she had donned them. She walked to her closet and pulled out an outfit that was resting on a hanger. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of the white blouse and quickly buttoned up the front. She then proceeded to step into a knee-length plaid skirt before pulling on a brown blazer.

            "That's better," Witchmon chuckled, "You look just like an ordinary teenage girl."

            She did respond, only point her digivice at the small monitor in the room. "Ready?"

            Witchmon hovered to her side. "Yes."

            Miayag's digivice activate the gate and pulled the two of them to Earth, specifically, a computer shop in a strip mall. No one had see them appear, as the computer was actually inside the loading dock of the store, obviously the foreman's private desktop.

            The Digitalatri Priestess dusted off her skirt before turning to her partner. "Are you ready?"

            Her now Child-level partner, Plotmon, nodded. She leapt onto her back and attached her paws around Miayag's neck, giving the perfect appearance of a teenaged school girl with her animal-shaped backpack. Miayag made certain that there was no one to watch her before leaping off of the loading dock and quickly running to the sidewalk. Once there, she began to walk slowly, disappearing into the crowd of people.

111

            Taichi's trek to the hospital took him around the outside of the city, and through the most heavily trafficked subway stops. Agumon X, disguised in his trench coat, had been following him steadily, but after two hours of walking, he was beginning to trail behind. Now at the seventh station they were at, he was finally getting annoyed. He waited until they were actually in the car before speaking. "Taichi?"

            "What?"

            He sighed. "Where are we going?"

            The human hesitated. "To the hospital…"

            "Then why are we taking the long way?"

            "What long way?"

            "Come on, now I know that I don't exactly go wandering around Tokyo by myself, but I know that it doesn't take two hours to go a couple of blocks." He sighed and turned to his partner. "Why don't you want to see your mother?"

            "Of course I want to see my mother!"

            "Then why are you taking so long?"

            Taichi hesitated for a moment. "I…." He turned away.

            Agumon X placed a clawed hand on Taichi's leg. "What?"

            "Seeing her…in that hospital bed, it's…it's…."

            His partner nodded knowingly. "Daisuke…"

            Taichi sighed deeply and glanced to the ground. As he glanced to the ground, his mind began to distort the subway car, giving him visions of past memories…

            _Taichi slowly entered the hospital room, cautiously stepping as quietly as he could. This was done not only to keep the sleeping figure laying in the bed but also because of the horror that he felt at _seeing_ the sickening…no, dying figure lying so still and peaceful. 'Still and peaceful,' not the words one would typically attribute to Daisuke Motomiya._

_            Taichi slowly to a stop, hesitantly reaching his hand out to the sleeping form. "I know you're there, Taichi-sempi," Daisuke said, slowly opening his eye, the only eye he had left sine the Second Black Death invaded his body._

_            "H…hey Daisuke," Taichi said, "H…how ya doin…?"_

_            "Do you even have to ask?" he chuckled, "Let's see, I lost my left arm, my right leg, my eye, my heart and kidneys are disappearing, this isn't pleasant. Let's face it, dying sucks. I mean, I'm a little curious about what's waiting for me on the other side, but…well, like I said…dying sucks, it hurts, it's painful, it just…sucks…."_

_            Taichi nodded. He had to advert his gaze from his dying friend to the corners of the room, which were covered with a variety of medical monitoring systems. "Hey, Daisuke, maybe when you're better, we can…."_

_            He instantly realized something was wrong, his friend's eyes had rolled back into his head. "Daisuke!" he cried. He then heard a sound that sent a sickening feeling through his body, the sound of the heart monitor, which had been emitting a steady beep, was know giving a flat beeping noise. "Daisuke!"_

_            He was quickly rushed out of the hospital by nurses and doctors. He stood numbly in the hall for what seemed like hours before one of the doctors came out to meet him. "Hello, I'm Doctor Yasudina. You are one of Mr. Motomiya's friends, correct?"_

_            He nodded slowly. "Yes…"_

_            Dr. Yasudina sighed. "Then it's my sad duty to inform you that Mr. Motomiya has passed away."_

_            The doctor continued to speak but Taichi did not hear, the world began to quickly spin out of control…._

            "Taichi?"

            He blinked for a moment. He was back in the subway car, seated next to his digimon partner. "W…what?"

            "You kinda zoned out there," Agumon X said.

            "I did?" he asked.

            "Yeah. You were thinking about Daisuke, weren't you?"

            "N…no," he said, turning his head away once again, "No, I wasn't."

            Agumon X frowned. He knew the conversation had ended, so he turned his head as well.

111

            The Daughters of the First and their guests were helping themselves to Jyou's hospitality. Specifically, Keeya, Noriko and their Mushmon were helping themselves to Jyou's satellite dish, Lynna, Dingo and their partners were helping themselves to Jyou's food, Anna, Yuri and their partners were helping themselves to Jyou's balcony, and Iduia and her Kokuwamon were helping themselves to Jyou's computer and internet connection. Only Mimi, Maria and their partners felt slightly uncomfortable.

            Mimi sighed. "Why don't we talk for a little bit?"

            "We've been talkin' all mornin'," Dingo's Ganimon X replied.

            "Maybe we can talk some more," Palmon X stressed.

            "About what?" Keeya's Mushmon asked.

            Iduia spoke up. "I…have…something…I…would…like…to…know…"

            "What?" Mimi smiled.

            "Michael…seemed…to…know…Schmidt…"

            Mimi sighed. "I guess that's something you need to ask him."

            "Really?"

            She fidgeted. "I…I can't really speak for him…"

            By now the attention of the other guest had turned to the conversation. "Why not?" Yuri asked.

            She hesitated again. "I…."

            "Come on," Lynna said.

            The brown-haired woman sighed. "All right. Michael's gonna kill me, but…" She shook her head, "Victor von Schmidt was born in Germany, but he came over to America as an exchange student in 2004, and even ended up going to the same high school as me and Michael. I wasn't too sure about him, but Michael and Schmidt actually got along pretty well. After we found out that he was a Chosen, Michael even agreed to train him." She glanced to the floor in regret, "He was almost part of the New York Team, but…"

            She took a deep breath and continued, "But then there was a falling out. There was some…" She shook her head, "I've told you this much, I might as well tell you everything. As you know, the Chosen Council was formed from representatives from all across the world, Taichi, Yamato, me and Michael…Schmidt was one of them. But then, Koushiro and Daisuke died and Taichi just…kinda left. After that was when Koushiro unleashed the X-Antibody. Schmidt used that to turn most of the Digital World against us. He made everyone believe that we had betrayed them. We were forced from the council and Schmidt remained in control. He was just using pain and suffering to get power, just what he always wanted."

            She sighed again. "That's why Michael can't stand him, because he was the one that taught him about the Digital World, so he feels responsible. And after what the Council tried to do to the Infected Chosen…Michael just feels…like it's his fault…"

            Maria stared with her mouth open wide. "I…I had no idea…."

            "Yeah," Mimi said, "Just…you know…don't tell him that I told you…"

            Noriko smiled. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us."

111

            Taichi slowly entered the hospital room where the unconscious form of his mother was lying. "H…Hey Mom," he said, "H…how are you doing?"

            He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and sighed in disgust. "This is pointless…." He walked to the door.

            "Taichi," his partner said, "I thought you were going to talk to her."

            He sighed and slowly walked back to her side. "Okay…okay…Mom, I…I'm sorry that you're like this…"

            He shook his head. "I don't even know if you can hear this…but, I…I hope you wake up soon…I…You need to be there to see everything…What about grandkids? You keep telling me how you want grandchildren, but you need to be here to see them, right? Come on Mom, you got to pull through this, you just have to…"

            He wiped his eyes and found that they were wet. "Taichi," Agumon X said.

            The young man walked over to one of the chairs and plopped down. He turned on the television and flipped to the news channel, but his eyes kept drifting to the unconscious form of his mother right next to him.

            "I need to get some air," he said, exiting the room.

            "Hold on," Agumon X called, running after him.

111

            Miayag cautiously passed through the sliding front doors and nervously approached the young woman seated behind the front desk. "How can I help you?" she asked.

            "Um…Yagami, Yuuko?"

            The woman glanced at her computer screen. "Ah, yes, she's on the third floor, room 21."

            Miayag gave her thanks and began to walk away, when the receptionist called out to her. "Excuse me, miss?"

            She twisted around. "Y..yes?"

            "I like your backpack, it's really cute."

            She gave a quick smile. "Oh…thanks." She smiled again and jumped into the elevator.

            "Cute?" her Plotmon asked from where she was poising as her backpack.

            "Quiet," Miayag snapped back.

            Once the elevator stopped on the third floor, Miayag navigated through the halls until she arrived at room 21. She peered inside and saw the lying form of Yuuko Yagami. She gave a small gasp and placed her hands over her mouth, so focused on the lying woman that she did not even realize that the television was still on from Taichi's visit. Plotmon leapt off of her back and sat on the chair next to the unconscious woman. Miayag slowly approached her. As she did, another image flashed through her mind. That of another woman lying in a hospital bed, her eyes rolled back in her head.

            "Mom…" she said.

            "What?" Plotmon asked.

            "It's just like Mom," she said, "How many times did I have to come and see Mom in the hospital? How many times did I have to see her like…like this? All because of what my father…" She sighed deeply. "But this time it's our fault."

            Plotmon frowned. "Yeah, I know, but what else can we do?"

            Miayag shrugged. "I don't know…" She smiled slightly, "Imagine me, the High Priestess of the Digitalatri Church, week and pathetic because she's worried about a casualty of war?"

            "Chihi?" Plotmon asked.

            Miayag knelt down in front of the hospital bed and lightly grasped Mrs. Yagami's hand. "I'm sorry for this. Even though your son and daughter are my enemies, I truly wish you recover as soon as possible."

            Plotmon trotted over. "I'm sorry, too."

            Miayag sighed to herself. "Come on, Plotmon, let's get out of here before one of her family comes…"

            The Child-level digimon leapt onto her partner's back, once again posing as a backpack. Miayag held her head low as she exited the room. She was not aware that as she left, Taichi and Agumon X came from around the corner.

            "Who was that?" Taichi asked.

            His dinosaur partner shook his head. "I don't know, but she came out of your mother's room…"

            Taichi blinked. "She did?" He ran down the hall to the nurse on duty on that floor. "Excuse me, did you see a teenage girl in a school uniform come out of Room 21?"

            The elderly woman nodded slowly. "Yes I did, was she…?"

            Taichi ran to the elevator without answering. Agumon X followed. The young man punched the button for the first floor and paced the small box until the doors opened. They ran through the crowd and onto the street. Taichi looked to the left and right to examine the crowds on the sidewalk. "Where is she?"

            Agumon X spotted a uniform-clad girl with an animal-shaped backpack. "Taichi!"

            The young man charged through the crowd, gently pushing people aside. "Hey!" he shouted, trying to get the girl's attention, "Hey! Hey, I'm talking to you! Turn around!"

            The girl slowed to a stop. She slowly turned around, and even with her spiky strands of hair falling in front of her face, Taichi recognized her instantly. "You!" he gasped, "What were you doing in my mother's room? If you hurt her anymore…"

            Miayag sighed. "You know, I didn't want her to get hurt…."

            Taichi growled. "She has a name, it's Yuuko Yagami, _Mrs._ Yagami to you."

            "Fine, I didn't want _Mrs. Yagami_ to get hurt…"

            "But she did, didn't she?" Taichi shouted, "All because _you_ had to come here to attack us! And why did you attack us? Just to get a book! You sent my mother into a coma and risked thousands of lives just so you could get some _damn fucking book!_"

            Agumon X reached out. "Taichi, stay calm, okay?"

            The young man took a few deep breaths. "All right fine. So you're sorry, big deal, it doesn't change what happened." He pointed his finger at her, "But this you're still a criminal, and I'm taking you in!"

            Miayag smirked slightly. "Do you call everyone who doesn't believe the same thing you do a criminal?"

            "This doesn't have anything to do with your religious beliefs! You want to make a new religion, fine! But when you start harming innocent people, then that's when I have a problem!"

            Miayag crossed her arms. "All I did was offer the Infected Chosen the choice to be healed, as I recall, _you_ were the ones that started this."

            "You were ready to kill Maria and Noriko to give your  'choice,' to the Infected Chosen."

            "Because you turned your back on them!"

            Taichi clenched his fists. "All right, you little bitch, it's time you learned some respect! I'm taking you down right now!" He grabbed the X-digivice which was hanging on his belt. Once he clasped his hand around it, it twisted and changed into a familiar orange-colored sword.

            "The Sword of Hidokoro," Miayag said, "Well, I have a weapon of my own…" She reached with her left hand to lift the bottom of the plaid-colored skirt high enough to grab her own digivice, which was resting on a garter around her left leg. Once she grabbed it, it transformed into the Staff of Yuushi. At this time, Plotmon dropped from Miayag's back and stood at her side.

            "A Plotmon?" Agumon asked.

            Taichi appeared to not care. He nodded at his partner. "Do it."

            Agumon X marched forward and quickly evolved to his Fully Evolved form. Miayag order her partner to do the same. "All the way to the Final Level?" Plotmon asked.

            She thought for a moment. "No, let's give them a chance. Bastemon will do."

            Plotmon grinned and evolved to her own Fully Evolved Level. The veiled cat-woman held her sharp claws towards her face. "We don't have to do this, you know. I'm sure you remember how badly I beat you last time…"

            "You're not gonna scare me like that," he said, "Taichi wants you apprehended, so I'm giving it my all this time."

            Bastemon started laughing. She began to walk towards him, her hips swaying back and forth. "Metalgreymon!" Taichi shouted, "She's using her Helter Skelter attack again! Stay with me!"

            The mechanical dinosaur did not respond. He could only stare at the cat woman as she danced and swayed back and forth. He tried to raise his metal arm to attack, but all of his limbs felt like lead and they did not respond when he tried to move them. Bastemon's erotic and persuasive dance forced his mind to forget everything except her dance.

            "Metalgreymon!" Taichi shouted, "Fight it!"

            The cybernetic digimon struggled as hard as he could against the confusion. Despite the swirling world, he managed to raise his metal arm and point it at his cat-dancing opponent. "T…T…Trident Arm Ver. 9.9!" 

            The claws on his cybernetic arm shot forward, aiming for Bastemon. The cat-woman leapt into the sky seconds before the claw smashed into the ground. Her confusion-inspiring dance ceased and Metalgreymon X began to assault the cat woman by swinging his metal arm at her. However, she used her uncanny agility to easily dodge the bulky dinosaur's attacks. He swung his arm at her, but she back-flipped into the air before landing on his arm. She charged up his outstretched limb until she arrived at his shoulder. She pulled her hand back before digging her claws deep into the side of his face. He winced in pain, but with a quick flick of his head, sent her tumbling down his metal arm. He grabbed her with his organic arm and threw her into the ground with all of his might. She climbed to feet, but it was clear that she was favoring her right leg, her left one clearly broken, or at the least, strained.

            She chuckled. "How's your ear there?"

            Metalgreymon X glanced to his left shoulder, where there was a small trickling of blood. "It's been better," he chuckled, "How's your leg?"

            "It hurts," she said, "But even without it, I can still kick your ass!" She held up her clawed-hands, "Get ready, here I come!"

111

            Inside Room 21 of the hospital not even two blocks away, Mrs. Yagami's eyelids flickered for a moment before they fully opened. She remained still for the merest of moments, fighting to remain conscious before completely sitting up. She blinked again, then started twisting her head around the room. "Kumiko?" she asked, "Kumiko?"

            She frowned upon discovering the room was empty, "I thought that…" She blinked again, "Wait! It wasn't her, it was…that girl…"

            She suddenly became aware of the television that Taichi had left on; specifically the local news channel, which was displaying coverage of the battle between the large orange dinosaur and the cat-woman.

            "M…Metalgreymon?" she asked, "Taichi's there, but…that…that cat-woman was the one who…Which means she's there too!"

            Mrs. Yagami threw the sheets off of her body and leapt to her feet. However, she had not walked for the past few days, so she fell to her knees. That did not stop her as she climbed back to her feet and limped over to the small closet in the room. There was a white robe hanging inside, which she threw on over her hospital gown. She exited the room and quickly ran through the halls, completely ignoring the cries from the nurses and orderlies that she past. She did not know how long she could remain conscious, and she would not be stopped before she had the answers to her questions.

111

            Mimi, Dingo, Yuri and the Daughters of the First had seen the same news coverage of Taichi versus Miayag. They filed out of Jyou's apartment, ready to aid Taichi in any way they could. However, as they began to run down the street, Noriko slowed to a stop. She turned to the other Daughters. "You feel it too, right?"

            "Yes," Keeya responded, "I do."

            "What are you talkin' about?" Dingo asked.

            "It feels like Lynna."

            The brunette woman blinked. "Me? What are ya…?"

            Noriko turned to Mimi. "Which Demon Lord took the power of water from Lynna? Which one?"

            The other woman thought for a moment, then frowned. "Amikyo…"

            There was a bright blast of green light and the Demon Princess and her demonic partner, Leviamon appeared before them. She smirked. "So, you can sense the powers of the other Daughters, huh? That's so cool, I wish I could do that."

            Mimi turned her frown into a snarl. "What are you doing here?"

            Amikyo laughed. "What do you think?"

            "We don't have time for this!" Palmon X exclaimed, "Please let us pass so we can help Taichi."

            "Or are you and Digitalatri working together now?"

            The Demon Princess frowned. "What, is that false prophet here?"

            "All right, fine," Mimi said, "You already took all the powers you want, so what are you doing here?"

            "I've been given orders to bring your heads to Lord Cahiti…"

            "We have heard that before," Yuri said.

            Amikyo shrugged. "Yeah, well, let me let you in on a little secret, all those other times…? Well, the only reason you're still alive is because we were told to hold back, but now…"

            "You don't scare us!" Noriko shouted. She turned to her partner, "Plotmon, get ready to…"

            "No," Mimi said, "You guys hold back."

            "What?" Noriko's Plotmon gasped.

            "It's just safer," Palmon X nodded, guessing her partner's reasoning, "You guys are too important to everything that's going on, you need to stay safe."

            "But you can't beat him on your own!" Keeya's Mushmon protested.

            Mimi glanced over to Dingo and Yuri, "Wanna give us a hand?"

            "Okay, fine," Keeya sighed, "The _three_ of you can't beat him yourselves!"

            Ganimon X grinned. "Ya're forgettin', we're X-digimon, we're stronger then normal digimon."

"But," Maria protested, "That doesn't mean you can beat _him_!"

"Maybe not," Kokuwamon X said, "But we have to try."

            "But…" Maria started.

            "Please," Mimi said, "Just…it's better if we don't have to worry about you."

            Noriko sighed ."All right, fine, but as soon as you're in trouble, we're jumping in, got it?"

            Amikyo crossed her arms and tapped her foot, rolling her eyes, "Anytime now…"

            "We're ready," Mimi said. She and the two young men grasped their X-digivices tightly. Their partners evolved to their highest forms: Lillymon X, Gesomon X and Kuwagamon X. The three digimon stood their ground in the city street, staring down the crocodile-digimon.

The Demon Princess grinned wickedly, "It's time for you to die! Leviamon!"

            Her demonic partner roared and leapt forward. The three X-digimon quickly dodged to the sides, seconds before his teeth would have ripped them to shreds. Instead, his jaw wrapped around a fire hydrant and easily ripped it from it's foundation. With a quick jerk of his head, he sent the hydrant flying to the sidelines where the Daughters of the First were standing. "Hit the dirt!" Noriko shouted.

            They instantly dispersed, and the hydrant smashed into the sidewalk with such force that it cracked and shattered.

            "Holy shit!" Lynna exclaimed, her eyes wide open.

            Mimi looked over her shoulder at the six young women. "Now you see why I wanted you safe."

            They all turned away in shame and realization. Mimi turned back in time to watch the three X-digimons began their attack. Kokuwamon X attempted to use his claws to slash the demon's back. Gesomon X began to pound his long snout with his tentacles and Lillymon X finished by firing her Flower Cannon attack. Despite the combination of the three attacks, only the Fully Evolved flower child's attack appeared to cause Leviamon to flinch. He leapt at Lillymon X, his teeth glistening sharply in the sky. However, the flower digimon shot further into the sky as fast as she could. The bulky crocodile could not reach her and he fell back to the ground. He landed on his four feet, smashing and cracking the pavement. His eyes darted to the hovering Lillymon X, then over at Kuwagamon X, before focusing on Gesomon X.

            "Uh oh," Dingo muttered, "Gesomon, get atta there! Move!"

            The large squid attempted to slithered to safety, but Leviamon launched over to him, his massive jaw wide open. Gesomon X threw up one of his tentacles to block his face and the crocodile's jaw chomped down with all of his might. The tentacle instantly vaporized into data and the squid began to scream in pain.

            "Gesomon!" Dingo shouted.

            Amikyo smirked. "Looks like you're already down one digimon."

            "I'm…I'm fine…" the squid said, "Jus'…jus' give me a minute…"

            Mimi frowned at the Demon Princess. "Lillymon X and Kuwagamon X are still in this! And as long as they stay in the air, Leviamon can't hurt them because all of his attacks are close range!"

            Amikyo pointed at her partner. "You think so huh? Get them!"

            Leviamon stared up at Lillymon X and Kuwagamon X. He spun around rapidly, his tail whipping behind him, sending a shockwave into the air that struck the two hovering X-digimon. "Cauda!"

            Lillymon X managed to stay in the air, but Kuwagamon X became caught in a tailspin. Once he fell close enough to the ground, the crocodile leapt into the air and attempted to use his Rostrum attack and use his teeth to rip the insect's arm from his socket. However, Kuwagamon X recovered from the tail spin and shot out of the way. Lillymon X came around from behind and fired her Flower Cannon attack once more, but the ball of energy bounced off of the crocodile's thick scales. He executed his Cauda attack again, this time striking Lillymon X at point blank, throwing her into the ground. He stomped over to attack her again, but Gesomon X swung his remaining tentacle into the crocodile's snout. Leviamon turned to him and tackled him into the ground. "Rostrum!" he shouted as he began to tear and bite with a frenzied attack.

            "Gesomon!" Dingo shouted, "Gesomon!"

            Lynna gasped. "H…he's okay, but…"

            "He won't be going anywhere soon," Leviamon laughed, lifting his snout out of the hallowed husk that once was Gesomon X. The squid glowed brightly and regressed to Ganimon X.

            Amikyo laughed. "Your team is getting smaller, you know," she chuckled.

            Leviamon turned to Lillymon X, who was rising to her feet. "Rostrum."

            "Get out of the way!" Mimi shouted.

            The flower child tried to fly into the air, but the crocodile displayed a surprising burst of speed and tackled her to the ground. He was again began to jab and tear at her, but she was strong enough to survive his attack, only the front of her dress was torn.

            "You jerk," she said, covering her chest with the torn fabric. She managed to tie the article of clothing together as best she could.

            The crocodile only grinned beneath his elongated jaw.

            "We are not doing so well," Yuri commented.

            "Don't say that!" Mimi exclaimed.

            "It is true," the Russian man said, "Gesomon has been defeated, and if Lillymon X could not stand up to his attack, what use will anyone else have?"

            Anna gripped Noriko's hand tightly "Yuri is losing faith in himself."

            "So is Mimi," the dark-haired woman responded, "Even though she won't show it…"

            "This is bad," Maria said, "Just like when Taichi fought Shiokuro, and he was then only able to beat him when he killed him with his own staff…"

            Mimi blinked. She twisted around and stared at the Latino woman. "What did you just say?"

            "Um…T…Taichi used Shiokuro's staff to i…impale him…"

            Mimi turned back to stare at Leviamon, specifically his razor sharp teeth. She surveyed the partners of the Daughters of the First, then grinned.

            "What?" Keeya asked, "Do you have an idea?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, but Anna, Maria, Iduia, I'm gonna need your help."

            The three young women glanced at one another. "Sure," Maria said, "What do you need?"

            "Evolve your partners and wait for my signal," she said. As Anna's Penmon, Maria's Patamon and Iduia's Kokuwamon were evolving to Unimon, Centarumon and Guardromon, Mimi turned to Yuri and whispered into his ear.

            "Hey!" Amikyo shouted, "No passing secrets!"

            Yuri nodded at Mimi and then shouted orders to his Kuwagamon X in Russian, a language that neither Amikyo nor Leviamon could understand. "Hey!" the Demon Princess called, "That's not fair…That's not fair!"

            "Really?" Mimi asked, crossing her arms, "The only thing that's not fair is the way you're wearing my hairstyle!"

            "Your hairstyle?" Amikyo asked, lighting fingering the wisps of pink hair that were hanging in front of her face, "What about it?"

            "Why are you wearing it like that?"

            She hesitated. "I…um…I…"

            Mimi smirked. "I knew it. The only reason your hairstyle is like that is because you're trying to be like me, isn't it? You're nothing but an envious little brat!"

            The Demon Princess began to sneer. "You bitch! Leviamon, tear her apart!"

            Her demonic crocodile opened his jaws to growl loudly. As soon as he did, Yuri shouted to his Kuwagamon X. "Now!"

            The giant insect lifted one of his claws into the air and it began to glow bright. "Crunch Arm!" he shouted, swinging the power-up claw at the crocodiles jaw, specifically, his razor-sharp teeth. Despite only being an Adult, Kuwagamon X's attack was strong enough to slice a good portion of his teeth away from his gums. They clamber to the ground, where Lillymon X quickly grabbed one in her hands.

            "You bastards!" Leviamon shouted, "You stopped by Rostrum attack, but don't forget about this! Cauda!" He spun around once more, sending from his tail a shock wave that headed for Kuwagamon X. He was not able to escape in time and the attack forced him to return to Kokuwamon X. Yuri ran to his side.

            "You did well," he said, "Very well."

            "Very well?" Amikyo asked, "Leviamon kick his butt! Did you finally lose your mind?"

            "Guess again!" Mimi laughed, "Lillymon!"

            The Demon Princess and her partner turned to the sky as the flower child shot over Leviamon's head with his sharp tooth in her hands. She lifted it above her head and slammed it deep into the crocodile's back with all of her might. The tooth spliced through the scales on his back. She pulled back with an equal amount of strength, ripping a decent sized hole in the middle of his back.

            "Leviamon!" Amikyo shouted.

            Mimi grinned. "I knew it. The only thing strong enough to hurt him…was his own teeth! Ha!"

            "Whatever," she said, "You still can't beat him. Leviamon!"

            The demon crocodile roared with all of his might. Mimi turned to Maria, Anna and Iduia. "Now!" she shouted, "Aim for his throat!"

            Before Amikyo could call to her partner, Unimon, Centarumon and Guardromon fired their attacks simultaneously. Unimon's Holy Shot, Centarumon's Hunting Gallop, and Guardromon's Destruction Grenade combined together and shot passed Leviamon's jaw and into his stomach. At the same time, Lillymon X fired her Flower Cannon through the hole she created on Leviamon's back. Her attack struck Unimon, Centarumon and Guardramon's attack as they met in the crocodile's stomach. The demon digimon was blown apart from within, his body's data scattering across the battlefield.

            "Yes!" Mimi cheered, jumping into the air.

            "Mimi," Keeya said, "T…that was amazing!"

            She grinned slightly. "Yeah, well…after Maria said that thing about Taichi beating Shiokuro, I got an idea to attack Leviamon from the inside, and I figured that only his teeth could hurt him."

            "I get it," Noriko said, "That's why you wanted Unimon, Centarumon and Guardromon to attack, because their attacks are projectile types, right?"

            "That was amazin'!" Lynna gasped, "I mean, that was totally fuckin' cool!"

            The older woman only nodded and shrugged slightly. She turned back to the Demon Princess. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, about your hair. I just needed you to get ready to attack us."

            Amikyo shrugged. "Yeah, whatever."

            "Come on," Plotmon said, "You lost, don't be a sore loser!"

            "She's right," Noriko said, "Now, where are Sora and Catherine?"

            The Demon Princess sneered. "Those two _supermodels_ are being held…." She smirked, "Somewhere."

            "Don't you have any honor?" Keeya asked.

            "Maybe…" she said, "I sure wish I had some courage…"

            "Courage?" Mimi asked.

            "Yeah," she said, "Courage. Lord Cahiti told me that if I didn't kill you, I shouldn't bother returning."

            "So, then stay with us," Mimi said, "You can help us. You don't need to follow that guy…"

            Amikyo smiled slightly. "You're wrong. I'm Envy, I always want what everyone else has, but sadly, I never have the guts to take it. I want to be free of Cahiti, but I don't have the courage to tell him so. I can only think of Shiokuro, _he_ doesn't have to listen to the Demon King anymore…."

            Maria gasped. "But…Shiokuro's dead…"

            The Demon Princess nodded. She grabbed a dagger that was hidden beneath her dress and before anyone could stop her, she shoved it deep into her chest. She fell onto her knees before completely collapsing onto the ground. Mimi ran to her as fast as she could, but she skidded to a halt when the body of the Demon Princess vanished in a burst of data.

            Mimi stared wide-eyed. "She was made of data? She…she wasn't really human? Did that make her a digimon, or something else?"

            Lillymon X hovered to the ground where she returned to Palmon X. "Mimi," she said, "What about Taichi?"

            She blinked. "R..right." She turned to the Daughters of the First, "Go back to Jyou's apartment."

            "Oh, not this again!" Lynna groaned.

            "Just please go," she said. She glanced over at Dingo and Yuri, "_All_ of you."

            They reluctantly nodded and Mimi and Palmon X charged down the sidewalk.

111

            Meanwhile, across the city, Taichi and Miayag's battle continued. Metalgreymon X watched as Bastemon charged towards him. She leapt into the air, jumping as high as she could, aiming for his face. He blocked with his metal arm and threw her back to the ground. However, she gracefully maneuvered and landed on her uninjured leg. She smirked wickedly.

            The cybernetic dinosaur growled, resisting the urge to activate his Giga Destroyer attack to obliterate the cat-woman, but he knew that if he cut lose, the buildings in the area could be damaged or even destroyed. He was forced to swing his arms to attack her, but she was far too fast and agile, yet it was the best he could do, so he continued with this strategy.

            Miayag chuckled. "You really can't come close to harming my partner, can you?"

            Taichi growled. "That's only because she too much of a coward to fight him directly!"

            The Digitalatri Priestess sneered at him. She twisted the Staff of Yuushi in front of her. "If you think you can do better, then come and get me."

            Taichi blinked for a moment. "You're kidding, right?"

            "Why not?" she smirked, "Are you a general who just lets his soldiers fight, or are you a general who goes into battle himself?"

            The young man frowned and held the Sword of Hidokoro tightly. He was not a swordsman, he had no idea how to use one, but he judged that since Miayag was only armed with a staff, there was not much she could do to hurt him. He was unsure of himself, but kept it hidden.

            "All right, bitch," he said, "It's your funeral."

            Miayag chuckled and charged forward. She swung her staff at his side, and he quickly dodged out of the way. He swung his sword at her weapon, attempting to knock it out of her hand, but she swung her own staff at his. The two weapons clanged loudly as they struck one another. Taichi pushed as hard as he could and eventually forced Miayag to pull back.

She swung the bottom end of the staff into Taichi's stomach and he flinched. She then twisted the staff around to the top end, the end that was mounted with the metal star. The pointed end slashed his chin, slicing his skin apart.

            He ignored the injury and continued to attack. He swung his sword at her side, but once again she blocked it with her own weapon. He swung again, this time catching the Staff of Yuushi in an awkward position, throwing it out of her hands. She attempted to dive for it, but Taichi put his sword directly in front of her face. She stopped and turned to him, her face displaying a slight expression of fear.

            "I've got you now," he grinned, "Call off Bastemon and surrender."

            Miayag's eyes darted from Taichi to the fallen Staff of Yuushi. She hesitated then dove for the weapon. Taichi ran after her and raised his sword to strike her back.

            "Taichi, no!"

            The battles instantly ceased and turned to the middle-aged woman that was leaning against the side of one of the buildings. "Mom!" Taichi exclaimed, "You're…you're awake!"

            Miayag rose to her feet and smiled. "I am happy to see that you have recovered."

            "Mom," Taichi said, running to her side, "You should be in the hospital!"

            She ignored him and kept her gaze on Miayag. "Kumiko."

            Miayag blinked, "What?"

            "Kumiko," Mrs. Yagami repeated, "Kumiko Makato, that's your mother's name, right?"

            Miayag narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that name?"

            "Are you Kumiko Makato's daughter?"

            The Priestess hesitated for a moment. "Y..yes…"

            Mrs. Yagami grinned. "I knew it, I knew it! You look just like her!"

            The Priestess of the Digitalatri pointed her staff at her. "I will ask you only one time more, how do you know the name of Kumiko Makato?"

            Mrs. Yagami's smile faded. She glanced over at Taichi and Metalgreymon X, then over at Miayag and Bastemon. "Oh, I guess I should explain huh? Well, Kumiko is my younger sister." She closed her eyes and smiled slightly. "She got all the looks in the family. I used to hate the way the boys used to pay attention to her. She was so beautiful that when she was 18, she got a job with a modeling agency, but when she was 21, she left for America. We stayed in touched though, first by mail, then by phone, and then by e-mail. But, you know, first it was four times a month, then three times, and then four times a year, and then once a year, and…we just kind of lost track…But you are her daughter." She opened her eyes and smiled at her.  "Tell me, what is your name?"

            "C…Chihi Miayag…"

            Mrs. Yagami's smile grew. "No, I meant your true name."

            "M…Megumi. Megumi Seisou."

            "Megumi," Mrs. Yagami repeated, "Megumi…Tell me, how is your mother?"

            Miayag frowned. She sighed deeply. "Mom…died, two years ago."

            Mrs. Yagami gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh no, Kumiko-_imoutosan_, Kumiko!"

            "Wait a second," Taichi said. He glanced at Miayag, then at his mother. "Are you telling me that Aunt Kumiko, the one that never comes to any family reunions, is _her _mother? Are you telling me that…that we're _cousins?_"

            "Yes," she nodded, "Yes…."

            Miayag glanced down at the Staff of Yuushi. "It all makes sense now, who you were able to pass through the boundary under the city of Ceria. Only those with the blood of Yuushi…my mother held the blood of Yuushi…and if your mother and my mother were sisters…."

            Taichi's eyes shot open. "_I've_ got the blood of Yuushi too! Mom, who's Yuushi?" He turned to her, only to find her once again collapsed on the ground. "Mom!" he shouted.

            "She fainted again!" Metalgreymon X explained.

            "Damn it!" Taichi shouted. He twisted back to Miayag, but found that she and Bastemon had vanished.

            "Taichi!"

            He twisted his head around and saw Mimi and Palmon X charging towards them. "Taichi, what happened? What was Miayag talking about? What is your mother…"

            He shook his head. "Later! Help me get her back to the hospital!"

            She nodded and helped him lift his unconscious mother onto his back. The two X-Chosen ran to the hospital, Taichi praying that the stress and energy it took his mother to deliever the revelation to him did not kill her.

111

            Meanwhile, in an ancient temple, the remaining Demon Lords plotted and planned with their newfound partners, the Chosen Council. Deeper inside the temple, inside a stone cold cell, sat Sora Takenouchi of Fire, Catherine Rupert of Light and their faithful digimon partners: Piyomon and Floramon. And every night since their capture, they stare up at the night sky through their bared window, praying that their lives would not end there.

To be continued….


	16. The Book of Revelation: Chapter 2

Author's note: May not be suitable for young children. There's no sex, but strong language and suggestive adult themes and strong violence.

            _My name is Tatum Heany, a Chosen from New York. During the infamous Christmas Invasion, I received my digimon partner, Airdramon. After we helped the Odaiba Chosen defeat Malomyotismon, Airdramon and I were lost, we were without direction or purpose. That was until Michael came to us. He told us that he was starting his own digimon team, and that he wanted us to be a part of that team. I was not even certain how to properly care for my Airdramon, so I joined the New York Team, along with Sam, Maria, Steve, and Lou. Michael and Mimi taught us all that we needed to know, and after the Odaiba Team collapsed, we became the strongest Chosen team. And then the Second Black Death began to assault us. Steve and Lou died from the disease, Maria, Sam and I were infected, but Mimi and Michael were modified by the X-Antibody. As I watched by arms and legs vanish before my eyes, Mimi and Michael promised that they would do everything they could to save us._

_            But they never did. Maria, Sam and I were trapped in the Digital World, slowly dying. Mimi and Michael abandoned us and left us for dead! We had lost hope, that is, until the holy prophetess Chihi Miayag appeared before us. She informed us about the almighty God of the Digital World. If we chose to believe and serve Him, He could heal us. And so Sam and I chose to believe, and we were healed of the Second Black Death. Our partners were transformed to Mummymon and Archnemon. Maria chose to side with Yagami and the unbelievers._

_            However, we were surprised to discover, that Lady Miayag, was, in fact, the cousin of Taichi Yagami. Her mother was the younger sister of Taichi and Hikari's mother. She had gone to America to become a model, but when Lady Miayag was a younger teenager, her spirit left this world. _

_            Now, Lady Miayag is confused and in pain. I am her most faithful servant, I must purge this sadness from her heart, even if it means killing Yagami and bringing her his still-beating heart!_

--

_Digimon__ Apocalypse_

_The Book of Revelation:_

_Chapter 2_

--

            Jyou adjusted his binoculars as he stood on the shoreline of the Western Continent, staring at the small island floating on the water a few miles away. He focused on the flag whipping in the air. It was displaying an embroidered image of two large C's. This flag was attached to the top of a large towered building, elegantly designed with statues of angelic digimon. Surrounding this building, as well as the abundant courtyard-style front lawn, was a large metal fence, with guard towers at every 90 degrees.   "Well, the place certainly looks like a government capital…"

            "Any chance of getting inside?" Hikari asked.

            "Well," he said, "There is a front gate, but there are about five guards stationed there, as well as some sort of computer card identification system. The guards all have Mekanorimons as partners, shouldn't be too hard for us to burst in, but…"

            "We've got to wait for Taichi," the younger woman said.

            Jyou chuckled slightly. "Hey, I have no intention of committing suicide. We'll wait for Taichi."

            She nodded and lightly hugged herself. "You cold?" Plotmon X asked.

            "I'm just worried about Taichi," she said. She grabbed her cellphone and glanced at the screen. "Why didn't he call me back yet? He should have been back by now! Taichi, where are you?"

111

            Her older brother was currently pacing the floor outside of his mother's hospital room. More then a dozen doctors were inside, checking and examining the unconscious woman. Mimi was there with him, and despite her attempts to hug and comfort her friend, she too was ready to break down in tears. Their partners were standing at their sides, disguised in their trench coats.

            After was seemed like an eternity, Dr. Kazuyka emerged from the room. "Taichi," he said, bowing.

            Taichi quickly nodded. "Well?"

            "Her vital signs are stable, but unfortunately, she's unconscious once again." He shook his head, "She really should not have left the hospital, she needed time to recover. We could have gradually strengthened her body, but I'm afraid the stress of leaving the hospital so fast overtaxed her system. What was so important that she could very well have risked her life?"

            Taichi shook his head. "I…I don't know."

            Dr. Kazuyka sighed. "Well, we've called your father, and he'll be here soon."

            He nodded again. "Yeah, thanks."

            After the doctor left, Mimi walked up to her friend. "Taichi…what did your mother have to say to Miayag?"

            Taichi hesitated for a moment. "Nothing, I think she just saw me on the t.v and, I…I don't know." He glanced at her lying form through the door, "And we can't ask her now…"

            Mimi only nodded. "I…shouldn't we call Hikari…?"

            "I'll call her," he said.

            "Sure," she forced a smile, "I'll, d…do you want something from the cafeteria?"

            He shook his head. "N…no, no thanks."

            She nodded. "I'm just gonna call Noriko and the others and let them know what happened. I'll be back in a few minutes." She turned to her partner, "Come on Palmon X."

            The flower digimon gave Taichi's leg a reassuring squeeze with her vines, then ran after her partner.

            Agumon X walked over to Taichi's side. "Why didn't you tell Mimi what Miayag said? About you two being cousins?"

            He looked down at him. "Agumon, you can't tell any of them about that…especially Hikari…"

            He blinked. "Yeah, sure, but…why…?"

            He sighed. "Because, Chihi Miayag is our enemy, and there's going to be a time when we're going to have to fight to the very end, when we're not gonna have a choice, when it's gonna be her or us. And if the others knew that we're cousins, _especially_ Hikari, they wouldn't do what they'd have to do. Please, just keep it quiet for now."

            The orange dinosaur nodded. "All right, if that's what you want, I won't tell them, but Taichi, you have to at least tell Hikari, right?"

            He did not answer.

111

            Back at Jyou's apartment, Noriko answered the phone when it had rung. "Hello, Jyou Kido's apartment….Mimi! What happened! Where Taichi…What!" She gasped loudly, "Oh no! Oh man…I…yeah…sure. All right, bye."

            "What is wrong?" Keeya asked.

            The black-haired woman faced the other Daughters of the First, as well as Dingo and Yuri. She took a deep breath, "Taichi's mother…she…she woke up from her coma, but…but must have saw Taichi fighting Miayag on the t.v. and ran out to see him for some reason. She fainted again right in Taichi's arms…"

            Maria gasped loudly. "Taichi, oh no…"

            "That sucks man," Dingo frowned, "That…that really sucks…"

            "Has there been any change in her condition then?" Anna asked, "Or…is she the same as before…?"

            Noriko frowned. "It…it might even be worse…"

            Maria placed a hand over her mouth. "Taichi…"

            "Mimi's gonna stay there for a little bit," Noriko continued.

            Keeya nodded. "We will keep them all in our prayers." She smiled, "You know, I am not that bad a cook, perhaps we can prepare something for them, sort of a…get-well soon present?"

            "I'm sure they'd appreciate it," Lynna said.

            The African woman nodded. "I will get started then."

            "I…can…help…you…" Iduia said.

            "I will appreciate it, thank you."

            As the two young women walked into the kitchen, Maria rolled her wheelchair over to the black-haired young woman. "Noriko, c…can you do something for me?"

            "What?"

            "Can you take me to the hospital? I would like to see Taichi."

            The slightly older woman smiled. "Okay, sure. Just let me get my purse."

111

            Inside of the Castle of the First Chosen, the High Priestess of the Digitalatri Church, the young woman now known as Chihi Miayag lay on her bed, staring up at the brick ceiling. She had not yet come close to recovering from the shock of the revelation that Mrs. Yagami had given her. She was Taichi and Hikari Yagami's cousin, their mother was the older sister of her mother…

            When she thought of her mother, a sick feeling pressed into her stomach. She tried to stop herself, but her memory was too strong and it soon pulled her to the most hidden parts of her mind, her childhood…

            _Eight-year-old Megumi Seisou, glanced over at the small digital clock that was resting on her nightstand. It was after ten, certainly no time for a young child to be awake, but she could not sleep. She tossed and turned in her Sailor Moon bedspread for hours. She finally gave up and decided to lie quietly, staring up at the ceiling. Finally, a little after eleven, she heard the front door opening. She leapt out of bed and began to charge down the stairs. She slowed to a stop when she heard arguing from the kitchen. She sat down on the steps and strained her ears._

_            "Listen to me," her father, Masato Seisou said, "If we do it this way, then…"_

_            "No," her mother, Kumiko Seisou, replied, "I will not turn this home into a place of drug dealing! It's bad enough that we're using it, but I won't be a party to giving it to young children!"_

_            "But Kumiko.." her father protested._

_            "Do you want Megumi to become addictive? What if she's the one your selling that too? Huh?"_

_            Her father did not reply for several minutes. "M…maybe you're right. Tomorrow I'll tell Shingu that I'm not interested."_

_            Her mother laughed. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. I'm just going to check on Megumi, then we'll talk some more."_

_            The young girl knew that it was time to run. She ran back upstairs to her room and dove under the sheets. She pretended to be fast asleep when her mother came in to lightly kiss her on the cheek. She finally fell asleep thinking of her parents._

_            That was the last time she saw her father alive. According to the police report, after her father told Shingu that he did not want to become his partner in his criminal activities, Shingu shot him dead. The young Megumi Seisou was never the same after that. Every time she tried to smile, she could only think of her father's body lying in that coffin, the memory of the funeral was burned too deeply into her mind._

_            Her mother did not recover either. Her drug use grew greater and greater. At eleven years old, Megumi was already an expert at calling poison control to revive her overdosed mother. She could not remember how many times she came home from school, only to find her mother passed out on the floor, pills and illegal narcotics of all sorts lying spread out around her. But she always recovered, she always claimed she would get help, she always claimed she would stop. Megumi was tired of hearing it._

_            But one day she did not hear it. One day when she was 17, she returned home from high school, and found her mother once again lying on the floor, pills scattered everywhere. She sighed with the last of her patience. "Mom," she said, "I'm not gonna do this anymore, okay? As soon as I turn 18, I'm moving out. Quite frankly, I don't need this anymore…" She took a deep breath, "I don't need _you_ anymore!"_

_            She fell onto her knees, staring at the unconscious form of her mother. "Mom, I…I…" As she stared at her, a chill crept up her spine. She slowly reached out and touched her mother's arm. The icy coldness that attacked her caused her to jump back. "M…Mom…" she trembled, "No, m….Mom…." She screamed as loud as she could, tears flowing from her eyes like a torrent, "Mommy!"_

_            After her mother's death, she was lost and confused. She had received Plotmon a few years early, but seemed unable to evolve her. With nothing left for her on Earth, she decided to do as many of the Chosen Children were doing, and moved to the Digital World. Her life there was not much better. She and Plotmon barely survived, eating the scraps leftover from the Chosen Council and the other aristocrats of the Chosen. She had even thought of ending her own life. _

_But, as she was ready to set her soul free, a mysterious voice called out to her. _**"_I know of thy pain, but this will not release thou from it."_**

_            She twisted to Plotmon's sleeping form in front of the roaring fire, certain that her partner would have stopped her, however, the small digimon still lay sleeping. She then glanced into the darkness of the forest, but found nothing but trees and wind. "W…who's there?" her voice quivered._

_            "**Megumi Seisou**," it replied, "**If thou continue with this path, thy soul will remain trapped in eternal hellfire.**"_

_            She was certain that she had suffered a breakdown, but if insanity spared her from the pain of her past, she welcomed it. "Then how do I get rid of this pain and depression?"_

_            "**I know thou hast been through much in thy short life, but there is one who thou may turn to in times of darkest need.**"_

_            "W…who is that? You?"_

_            "**I am the God of the Digital World, and if thou will serve me, I can give to thee freedom from the pain that clenches thy heart.**"_

_            "Freedom from pain?" she asked herself._

_            "**That is correct.**"_

_            "But…how do I know that…that you're not evil?"_

_            "**A fair question. I cannot offer thou proof, as anything that I shall do for thou, will be misinterpreted by the multitude of others as tricks and illusions. So I shall say this to you, the citizens of the Digital World, Chosen and Digimon alike, turn to other deities, such as the Sovereigns, the Great Dragons, some even turn to demons, like Murmixmon and the Dark Masters, but, where are they now? Your heart weeps with such pain and sadness, why have they not come to aid you?"**_

_            She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because I'm nothing compared to the rest of the Digital World."_

_            "**Even if that were true, and they can only focus on larger problems, why are there even Chosen Children to begin with? With their great power, they should be able to save the Digital World from the problems facing it? Why do they continue to allow evil to exist?"**_

_            She thought for a moment. "I…I can't answer that."_

_            **"It is because they are false deities. I am the Supreme One, but  my message must be spread so that those faithful to me can be spared. I offer you the chance to do this."**_

_            "Why?"_

_            **"Because of your past. Your parents were taken from you, your father killed by one he called friend, and your mother from the vice and evils of modern society. Do you not wish to spare others from this fate? I offer paradise to all who will follow me, a world free of pain and suffering. Do you accept, my child?"**_

_            Megumi thought long and hard. "I…I want to help people. I want to make sure that no more kids grow up without their fathers, that no more kids grow up watching their mothers die right in front of their eyes, I want to make sure that there aren't any more…_me's!_ I accept!"_

_            She was suddenly overcome with a strange, yet wonderful, sensation. "**I am pleased to hear that my child. Now, your partner, your Plotmon, cannot evolve, correct?"**_

_            She nodded. "Yeah, I…I just can't…."_

_            "**I can give you the power to do so. Power I shall take from the strongest Chosen family in existence, the family Yagami!**"_

_            "Y…yagami?" she asked, "W…who are they?"_

_            **"Taichi and Hikari Yagami, two of the strongest Chosen Children of all time. I will remake you using their power, their might and energy shall be yours."**_

_            "I…I don't want to take it from them…"_

_            **"They have used their gifts, their powers for selfish reasons. One is the ruler of the Chosen, the other is the heart and soul of the Chosen, yet they have ignored my callings, they have ignored the truth they feel in their hearts. They are not worthy of the power the Digital World has bestowed upon them. They have fallen from the true path. You will become what they should have become.  I will base your power on theirs."**_

_            Her body was suddenly enveloped by light. Her jeans and t-shirt were torn from her body. "**White and pink to represent Hikari…**" A sleeveless pink dress appeared around her body while a pink cape attached itself to her neck and flowed behind her, "**With an unruly and unkempt hair style to represent Taichi…**" Her normally straight hair suddenly came alive, growing around her face in a mane of brown hair. _

_            "**I shall take the second syllable from Taichi and the first syllable from Hikari, as well as the anagram of their family name. You are no longer Megumi Seisou, you have been reborn as Chihi Miayag, High Priestess of the Digitalatri!"**_

Miayag shot her eyes open and found herself once again staring at the ceiling of her room. She turned to her partner, once again evolved to her Adult form of Witchmon. "Do you remember the first time we met the Digital God?"

            She fidgeted. "Kinda. I mean, I remember evolving for the first time, but I don't really remember speaking to Him…"

            The High Priestess sighed. "He gave me the power of Taichi and Hikari, He told me it was because they were the strongest and they had turned from the true path, and that I was going to take their place. Was that the real reason, or was it because He knew Taichi and Hikari were my cousins? And if he did, why didn't he tell me? Or…was it only because I have the blood of Yuushi? Yes…yes…that must be it, I am the only heir of Yuushi that has not turned from the true path!"

            Witchmon shrugged. "You said so yourself, the Will of the Digital God is strange and mysterious…"     

There was a fierce knocking on her door, "Lady Miayag!"

            "I do not wish to be disturbed!" she shouted.

            Outside, Tatum stared at the elegantly designed door, her hand quivering. She wanted to knock again, but knew that she would probably receive the same answer. She gave a courteous bow to the door and quickly trotted down the hall to where Sam and Vicente were waiting.

            "How is she?" Sam asked.

            "Not well," Tatum responded. She turned to Vicente, "It was your task to guard her room…"

            "She left," he protested, "She went to Earth and said that I couldn't follow, but judging by the recent news reports from Tokyo, it appears she challenged Taichi Yagami to a battle, and she lost."

            Tatum frowned. "She is stronger then that, a minor defeat should not upset her so, there must be more." She clenched her fist, "But I cannot stand to see her in such a distracted state! I do not know what Taichi Yagami has done to her, but we will discover it."

            "What are you saying?" Sam asked.

            The priestess of the Digitalatri smiled slightly. "We will go to Earth and drag Yagami here, then he will pay for what he has done to her!"

            Vicente chuckled. "Then it is perfect. He is apparently there alone, his only company is Mimi Barton…"

            Tatum gasped slightly. "Mimi…" She shook her head. "Well, it matters not. We will leave for Tokyo at once!"

111

            Halfway across the Digital World, Cahiti waited patiently inside the main audience room. Schmidt soon entered, closing the door behind him. "Well?" the Demon King asked.

            "Both JO223 and FP312…"

            Cahiti sighed and raised an eyebrow.

            "Uh…both Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert are clearly distressed and distracted. Even though they say otherwise, I think they truly believe that the X-Chosen are dead."

            He grinned. "Excellent. Then the first stage is complete, now, for your plan…"

            Schmidt nodded. "Right, but…uh…you do realize that if we go through with this, I'll have to allow them access to Form Magnum Island?"

            "A small price to pay," Cahiti responded.

            He did not agree with that, but chose to keep it to himself. "But, if they find their way here…"

            "It doesn't matter," he said again, "We'll be leaving this place within a few days."

            Schmidt eyed him strangely. "You have it all planned out, huh?"

            He grinned maliciously. "Of course. I know all and see all."

            "All right, fine. Then maybe you'd like to finish explaining about how you plan to take control of this world. As your partner, I think I deserve to know."

            He nodded slightly. "Very well. You have given me trust, something I know that you do not give easily, so I will give you what you want."

            He reached up to the orange hood that was covering his face, gripped the sides tightly, and pulled it down, revealing his face. Schmidt blinked, unable to believe his eyes. "T…Taichi Yagami?"

            "No," he responded, "As I have told you, my name is Cahiti. And the simplest explanation is that I am Taichi Yagami's dark side, made manifest."

            Schmidt stared at him for a few moments before smiling slightly. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't find that strange, right? Go on."

            Cahiti took a deep breath "As you know, the Digital World is comprised of data, but to comprise the physicality of this world, that data manifests itself as: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Forest, Metal, Light and Darkness. These eight elements act in balance, Fire against Water, Wind against Earth, Forest against Metal, and Light against Darkness. When the First Chosen first…materialized in this world, their data was mingled with one the elemental data, and the result was power over a specific element: Hidokoro of Fire, Lucien of Light, Kendra of Water, Svetlana of Air, Montenegro of Earth, Daiyu of Darkness, Glaucio of Metal and Abungu of Forest."

            "What about the other one?" Schmidt asked, "The one that Miayag said she's descended from…Yuushi?"

            Cahiti nodded. "Yes, Yuushi, the Hero King, his power was unknown, but legends say it was the most power force of all, his power was simply Divine. But it doesn't matter, only the other eight powers matter. Now, each one of the young women are descended from the First Chosen. But first their powers had to be awakened, and so my soldiers were sent to awaken that power by bringing them to the brink of death. But with the Second Black Death invading their bodies, they cannot properly use their powers, so they must give it to others: the X-Chosen. During the war in Nightsun,  I summoned Chimeramon to deal with them. When the X-Chosen were in trouble, the Daughters of the First gave them their powers, which is exactly what I wanted. I stole half of that energy to power my Soul Catcher."

            "But why?" Schmidt asked, "How are you going to use that energy?"

            He grinned wildly. "I will use that energy to cause the elements of the Digital World to battle each other until this entire planet is destroyed! Then, by using that same energy, I will remake it into a world of my own choosing! That is the world that we will rule over, my friend!"

            "Wait a second, " Schmidt said, "Okay, those girls had the powers of the First Chosen, but, where did they get their powers from? The Digital God?"

            Cahiti frowned at him. "It was through a quirk of first entering this world. When the second generation of Chosen appeared, this world had become stable enough to prevent that from happening again, but the power fused with their very DNA. As for the Digital God…well, to be blunt, he doe not exist. He's nothing more then a fantasy of a delusional girl. Miayag is very much insane, and her followers even more so. The Digital God does not exist."

            Schmidt crossed his arms. "I don't believe in gods to begin with."

            "Oh, but there are gods," Cahiti responded.

            "Who?"

            The Demon King stared the leader of the Chosen Council in the face. "Me!"

111

            _The young teenager stood in the hall of the apartment building.. She shifted on her feet as she slowly lifted her fist to the wooden door before her, but she hesitated, allowing it to hover._

_            "Aren't you going to knock?" her Tsukaimon said from her backpack._

_            "I….I'm nervous," she replied._

_            "Why?"_

_            "W…what if they don't like me?"_

_            "Oh come on! You're worrying about that now? They haven't even met you yet. I'm sure once they get to know you, then they won't like you….No! Wait…"_

_            She frowned. "Yeah, thanks." She turned back to the door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A woman with straight black hair and dressed in a maid's uniform. "Yes?" she asked in a accent that the girl did not recognize._

_            "Um, I…I'm here to see Michael…"_

_            The elderly woman smiled. "Please come in and follow me."_

_            She nodded and she and Betamon followed her through the giant apartment and into what she assumed was the living room. Inside was a giant couch, as well as a few lounge chairs. Seated around the couch was a teenage boy with glasses and blond hair with a Snow Goblimon at his feet. Next to him was a teenager of Native American decent with Gotsumon as a partner. There was an African American teenager next and he had a Candamon as a partner. There was a Latino girl seated on the floor, much younger then the others. Her partner was a Patamon. Seated in left lounge chair was a cheerful girl with a Palmon and in the other chair was a teenage boy with blond hair and Betamon at his feet. She nervously sat on the couch next to the African American boy._

_            The girl in the lounge chair smiled. "Okay, well, why don't we get started? Why don't introduce yourselves?"_

_            The boy with the glasses was first. "Well, my name is Steve, um, I'm 15 years old, I'm into video games. Oh, and my partner is Snow Goblimon and can evolve to Frigimon."_

_            The Native American boy was next. "My name is Lou, I am 14 years old. I like to study history and math. My partner is Gostumon, and can evolve to Tortomon."_

_            The African American boy spoke next. "I'm Sam, I'm 13. and I like to read and write. My partner is Candamon, who evolves to Flare Lizamon."_

_            The Latino girl spoke next. "Hello," she said, "My name is Maria. I am eight-years-old. I like to read and draw. My partner is Patamon, and he can evolve to Centarumon."_

_            The teenager girl glanced around, realizing it was her turn. "Oh, um…my name is Tatum. I…I like music…and I have a Tsukaimon for a partner. He can evolve to Airdramon."_

_            The teenage girl in the chair nodded. "Okay, great. Um, well, my name is Mimi, and this is my partner, Palmon. She can evolve to Togemon, and then to Lillymon. Palmon can evolve to her Fully Evolved level because of energy given to us by Qinglongmon.  I use to be part of the Odaiba Team until my parents moved to New York."_

_            The teenage boy in the other chair spoke last. "And my name Is Michael. My partner is Betamon, and he can evolve to Seadramon, then to Megaseadramon. And like Mimi, I received the power to evolve Seadramon from Qinglongmon. Now, the reason why we asked you to come here is because during the Christmas Invasion, we worked with each of you to bring the digimon to Times Square. We think you did a pretty good job, and we want to make our own team, a New York Team. We can help you learn how to care for your partners and work together to defend the Digital World and Earth. What do you say?"_

_            Each one agreed in turn, nodding at Michael's request. "Great!" Mimi grinned, "Let's get ready to go!..."_

            Tatum opened her eyes as the light from the Digital Gate faded, planting her feet firmly on the floor of a loading dock of a strip mall via the foreman's personal computer. She blinked for a moment, allowing the memory to fade from her mind. She turned to make certain that her fellow soldiers had come safely through the gate with her. Sam, Vicente and their partners were standing behind her. "We have all arrived?"

            "_Si_," Vicente nodded.

            The priestess of the Digitalatri smiled. "Then let us go!"

            As they began to march through the back alleys and passages of the city, Tatum's mind continued to drift through her memories. Her mind flashed her images of Mimi training her as well as the trio of girls having a slumber party. She forced those memories from her mind and chose to focus on her life in the digital city of New Havenwood only a few weeks ago…

            _Tatum struggled to keep her balance as she hobbled on her remaining foot, clutching at the outside of the building as she made her through the tar-covered streets. She tripped many times before finally arriving at her destination, a small alley between two massive buildings. Inside was Maria, Sam, Mimi, Michael and their digimon partners. The Irish woman's Airdramon was so weak from the BD-2, all he was able to do was slowly lift his head to greet her._

_            "Why are you walking yourself?" Mimi asked, running to her side, "We're here to help you."_

_            "I…I'm fine," she said, slowly making her way to the rotted couch. She sighed and glanced at the alley. It was decorated with a few pieces of furniture, a wooden table with a few pieces of fruit on it. There was even a tarp of sorts to cover their heads. "Not much of a home," she said, "But at least it's ours."_

_            "Don't talk like it's forever," Maria said, hopefully smiling._

_            "She's right," Michael said, "We'll find a cure, and then you guys can come back to Earth."_

_            Mimi smiled. "All right, we'll be back in a few days to check up on you."_

_            "Promise?" Tatum asked._

_            "Of course," Mimi said, "We'll be friends forever."_

            "_But she lied,"_ Tatum thought as she led her soldiers through the city, _"At first she and Michael came every day, then that number quickly dropped to nothing. She abandoned us! And after I deal with Yagami, I will kill her myself!"_

111

            Noriko studied the numbers over the doors as she walked through the hospital halls, "198…199…200…here we go, 201." She looked over her shoulder at the ensemble of Chosen: specifically, Lynna, Anna, Dingo, Yuri and their disguised partners. Noriko had been pushing Maria in her wheelchair.

            "Stay here for a second." She slowly peered into the room and found Mrs. Yagami lying unconscious in the hospital bed. Taichi and Agumon X were seated at her side, their backs to the door. Mimi and Palmon X were glancing out the window, but they turned their heads to the door and saw the black-haired woman. She smiled slightly. "Hey Noriko."

            Taichi and Agumon X turned to the door as well. "Hey guys," he said, "What are you doing here?"

            "Maria wanted to come see you," Anna said, allowing Yuri to lead her into the room.

            Taichi raised an eyebrow and turned to the Latino woman. She blushed and turned away. Her Patamon started singing. "Maria's embarrassed, Maria's embarrassed!"

            "I am not!" she protested.

The others smiled slightly. Dingo clapped his hands. "Well, I'm gonna see if that coffee shop down there's got anythin' good."

            Noriko's Plotmon stared at him. "You just finished eating…"

            He shrugged. "What can I say? Anyone want ta join me?"

            Lynna pushed past Yuri and ran to Dingo's side. "I'm there!"

            They ran out of the room with their partners following them. Noriko shook her head. "I'd rather be in a dark pit in the Digital World then in the pit of their stomachs."

            The cafeteria was on the bottom floor, past the main entrance.  The two Australians and their digimon partners ran into the room, and after paying for their generous purchases, began to walk back upstairs. As they passed by the front entrance, they spied a group of familiar figures approaching the sliding glass doors. They completely turned their heads and saw Tatum, Vicente and Sam, along with their partners, who were causing the people walking down the sidewalks to run in fear.

            "Oh shit," Dingo muttered.

            Lynna grabbed her cellphone. "I'm callin' for help."

            Upstairs in Mrs. Yagami's room, Noriko's cellphone began to vibrate. "Text message?" she asked. She lifted the screen to her face and read the screen. Her eyes bulged open. She turned to Taichi, but when she saw that he was staring deeply at his mother, she turned to Mimi. She ran over and showed her the text message. The slightly older woman nodded. She whispered to Anna and Yuri, and they quickly exited the room. Mimi placed his hand on Taichi's shoulder. "Um we're just…uh…going to get some air." She turned to Maria, "Why don't you stay and keep him company?" She squeezed her shoulder slightly. The Latino woman smiled slightly and Mimi and Palmon X ran after the others.

            Taichi turned to Maria. "What's going on?"

            She shrugged. "I…I don't know."

            "Maybe they just wanted to give you some time alone!" Patamon exclaimed.

            Maria blushed again.

111

            Downstairs, Mimi and the others charged out the sliding doors and joined Dingo and Lynna. The young woman frowned when she saw Tatum and the others. "Why are you here?" she asked.

            "Taichi Yagami is here, right?" the Digitalatri priestess said.

            "What do you want with Taichi?" Yuri asked.

            Sam answered. "Lady Miayag came to Earth and fought with Yagami. When she came back, she was not the same! What did Yagami do to her?"

            Dingo smirked. "I'm sure whatevah Taichi did to her, she deserved it!"

            Vicente sneered at him. "You better what your mouth, _amigo_, or else someone is bound to rip it out of your face."

            "Why don't you just go back to wherever it is you slime balls are hidin'," Lynna said, waving her hand, "Go on, see ya later!"

            "We are not exiting," Tatum said, "If you give us Taichi Yagami we will leave without incident."

            "You've got to be kidding!" Mimi exclaimed, "We're not giving you Taichi."

            "Why not?" Vicente asked.

            Noriko narrowed her eyes. "Would you hand over Miayag if we asked?"

            "Of course not," Tatum responded, "Lady Miayag is a divine priestess, Yagami is only a heathen, a failure, and you are fools for following him."

            Mimi could only think of the sight of Taichi carrying his unconscious mother back to the hospital, tears slowly following from his eyes. She began to become angry. "Don't you ever say that about Taichi! He's a thousand times, a million times better then Miayag!"

            The others turned to her with awe. They had only rarely seen Mimi so angry.

            Tatum narrowed her eyes. "I will punish you for those remarks against our High Priestess."

            "Then come and get us!" Mimi shouted, "You're not getting Taichi!" She turned to the others, "Evolve, now!"

            The digimon jumped forward and quickly evolved to their highest forms, Noriko's Plotmon to Black Tailmon, Lynna's Gizamon to Ebidramon, Anna's Penmon to Unimon, Dingo's Ganimon X to Gesomon X, Yuri's Kokuwamon X to Kuwagamon X and Mimi's Palmon X to Lillymon X.

            "All right," Noriko said, "Lynna and Dingo, take Vicente, Anna and Yuri, take Sam, Mimi and me've got Tatum."

            Tatum's Archnemon began the battle by firing her streams of webbing at her opponents. Lillymon X flew into the air, missing the streams, but the spider's web ensnared Black Tailmon.

            "You're not off to a good start, are you?" Archnemon cackled.

            Black Tailmon chuckled back and used the claws on her gloves to tear through the silk strands and continue on to pound the spider's face, before gracefully flipping through the air and landing perfectly on the ground.

"Sure, smirk now!" Archnemon growled, "Once I'm done with you, _I'll_ be smirking!" She ran towards Black Tailmon, but Lillymon X dove down from the sky. The spider woman swung her fist to attack but, the flower child blocked with her left leg. She swung her body around and planted her right foot in the spider's jaw. She pushed back and began to fly around Archnemon in a tight circle. The spider tried to grab at her leg, but Lillymon X was too fast. She pivoted her body around and fired her Flower Cannon attack into her body. She stumbled forward but Black Tailmon was ready and used her Neko Punch attack to rapidly pound her face. Once she was finished she performed a back-flip and once again landed gracefully on the ground. The spider charged at her, but caught Lillymon X coming at her from the sky. Archnemon ducked to avoid the flower child's attack then grabbed her leg. She slammed her into Black Tailmon, both of them smashing into the pavement.

            "Oh no!" Mimi gasped.

            "Are you guys okay?" Noriko shouted.

Their partners jumped back to their feet and continued their battle. Over to the right, Anna's Unimon and Yuri's Kuwagamon X were busy battling Sam's Mummymon.

The mummy pointed his large gun at Kuwagamon X. "Necrophobia!" His gun emitted a beam of massive white energy. The insect shot into the air to avoid the attack, but Unimon spewed a ball of energy from his mouth that impact into the mummy's back. He flinched slightly in pain.

"I've got him," Kuwagamon X said. He swung around from behind and executed his Crunch Arm attack, striking Mummymon's left arm. Pain was clearly visible on his face, but he was far from injured.   He saw Kuwagamon X from the corner of his eye and fired a stream of bandages from his hands, which wrapped tightly around the insect's body, constricting his multiple arms to his chests. He smashed the butt of his gun across the insect's nose. He pointed his other arm towards the charging Unimon and wrapped the same bandages around his body as well.

            "Kuwagamon!" Yuri shouted. Anna squeezed on his arm tighter.

            "What is wrong?" she asked, desperate to use her ears for a clue to her partner's condition, but the sounds of battle created too much noise.

            He hesitated. "Um…Unimon will escape, do not worry."

            Both the unicorn and the giant insect were struggling to free themselves, Mummymon studied both of them before jumping over to Kuwagamon X. He raised his fists and began to pound his face while the giant insect struggled to free himself. As he shifted and twisted, he was able to slide one of his claws out of the bandages. He twisted it around to cut through the bandages, freeing himself. Mummymon did not notice until the bandages began to fall to the ground. He tired to jump back to a safe distance, but Kuwagamon X trapped him within his giant mandibles.

            Yuri threw his fist into the air. "Yes!"

            "Don't cheer yet," Sam said, "Mummymon!"

            His partner smirked and flexed his muscles as hard as he could. Kuwagamon X continued to squeeze as tightly as he could, but Mummymon proved too strong and his left mandible was torn off.

            "Kuwagamon!" Yuri shouted.

            Unimon continued to struggle against the bandages that held his trapped. He was able to twist his horn around and slice through the thick bandages. He galloped over and shoved his horn deep into Mummymon's back.  He roared in pain as he tried to reach around the grab the Unicorn. Kuwagamon X shot in from the side and began to slice and tear at Mummymon with his claws.

            The mummy digimon grabbed his gun and fired once more striking the two digimon, throwing them into the sky. With his other hand he fired a stream of bandages that wrapped tightly around Unimon's leg. He pulled as hard as he could, yanking the unicorn in the ground. Kuwagamon X shot after his partner, but Mummymon fired his gun again, forcing the insect to dodge out of the way. Unimon, while still bound and tied, was able to fire a ball of energy from his mouth that struck Mummymon in the injury the unicorn had cause before with his horn. The mummy digimon was brought to his knees as he dropped his gun.

            "Mummymon!" Sam shouted. He ran to his partner's side, but Yuri's partner saw took his opportunity. He raised his claw, which began to glow with energy. "Crunch Arm!" He swung the claw, slicing Mummymon's chest in half. However, he was not aware that Sam had run up behind his partner, and Kuwagamon X's attack not only sliced through Mummymon's chest, but create a giant gash in the young man as well. Once Mummymon's data scattered to the wind, they were able to see Sam, his shirt covered with red blood. He quivered for a moment before falling lifelessly to the gound.

            Yuri stared with shock in his eyes. He turned to Anna, thankful that the lose of her eyes had saved her the sight of the death in front of them.   

            On the other side of the small battlefield, Lynna's Ebidramon and Dingo's Gesomon X were not doing well against Vicente's Skull Satamon. The demon digimon was far too fast for the two bulky digimon. He jumped and darted around their section of the battlefield.

            "Damn that freakin' gnat!" Lynna exclaimed, "Fight fair!"

            Vicente crossed his arms and laughed. "We are fighting fair. This is just how we fight, that is all."

            Dingo frowned. "Ya seem ta keep changin' the rules, huh?"

            Vicente only shrugged. "You should pay attention to your partners."

            Both Australians sighed and turned back to the battle. Ebidramon and Gesomon X were still attempting to find their enemy. Skull Satamon was a blur of black as he jumped from spot to spot. Finally, he remained still long enough to start his attack. He focused on Gesomon X and shot towards him. The giant squid swung his tentacle as the demon, but he disappeared once again, only to reappear behind Gesomon X and swung his staff into his back.

            "Hang on, buddy!" Lynna's Ebidramon shouted. He skittered on his multiple legs and swung his large pincer claws at Skull Satamon's back. However, the demon once again shot out of the way and Ebidramon's attack struck Gesomon X in the back. The giant squid did not flinch, only shoot his tentacles into the sky, this time striking the demon in the back. He was thrown into a tailspin, and the giant squid wrapped his tentacles around Skull Satamon and bashed him into the ground. Ebidramon grinned wickedly and used his giant pincer to smash into the demon's head.

            "Stop this!" Vicente shouted.

            Dingo glared at him. "The only reason you're mad is because you're losing!"

            The Digitalatri warrior did not respond, only crossed his arms and watched his partner. Skull Satamon struggled for a few moments before he was able to break free of Gesomon X's tentacle grip. He shot into the air and pointed his staff at the giant squid. "Nail Bone!" Gesomon X groaned in pain as he was sent skidding across the pavement.

Ebidramon growled. "Why don't you come down here and fight! What are ya, scared?"

Skull Satamon growled. "I fear no one!" He shot down at the lobster, his staff primed for attack. Ebidramon suddenly shouted, "Twin Neptune!" and slashed with his two large claws. Skull Satamon was not injured, but the force did through him backwards into the air. Gesomon X shot his tentacles up and wrapped them around the demon's leg. He pulled down with all of his might and threw him into the bottom of a nearby building. However, it was also the place where Vicente was standing. Both Chosen and digimon were thrown into the building's base. A section of the wall collapsed, crushing Vicente up to his back. Skull Satamon slowly rose to his feet, but Gesomon X was ready.

            "Coral Crusher!" He began to repeatedly and rapidly pound him with the ends of his tentacles. The demon twitched for a moment before deleting.

            Mimi glanced around at the battles occurring around her. She turned to Tatum and stared her straight in the eyes. "You're losing, please, just give up before you get hurt too."

            The Digitalatri priestess did not smile. "The will of the Digital God is within us, we will not lose!"

            "Don't be insane!" Noriko shouted.

            "Be silent, both of you!" Tatum shouted, "Archnemon, finish them now!"

            The spider woman grinned wickedly. She opened her mouth and fired a spray of green mist. "Predation Spider!"

            "Black Tailmon, look out!" Lillymon X shouted as she hovered in the air. The chocolate-colored cat leapt out of the way of the spider's attack. It splattered into the ground, dissolving the blacktop. Once the cat was in the air, Archnemon shot out her spider threads and ensnared her. She laughed and started to spin Black Tailmon around in a circle above her. She smashed the cat into the ground before flinging her into the air. Once in the sky, the cat twisted around and grabbed hold of a building ledge.

            "That won't save you!" the spider shouted. She began to pull but Black Tailmon held tightly. Lillymon X flew down, grabbed the threads right beneath the chocolate cat and pulled as hard as she could. Black Tailmon twisted around and cut the threads with her claws, freeing herself. The flower child bolted higher into the sky, lifting Archnemon with her. Once they were high enough, Lillymon X pointed her arms at the spider as they formed into a cannon. "Flower Cannon!"

            The force of her energy attack slammed into Archnemon's stomach, but also sent her crashing into the ground, specifically the area directly above her partner. Tatum knelt down and covered the back of her head as her partner slammed into her. Archnemon's data dissolved into the air, but her human partner was still on her knees, panting heavily.

            Mimi began to approach her, but Tatum managed to raise her head. She stared at Mimi, panting heavily. The two young woman stared directly into one another's eyes, searching one another's souls.

            _Mimi smiled. "All right, we'll be back in a few days to check up on you."_

_            "Promise?" Tatum asked._

_            "Of course," Mimi said, "We'll be friends forever."_

            Tatum's face slowly broke into a smile. "Let's meet again…on the other side."

            Mimi smiled as well. "Sure, I'll see you there."

            Tatum continued to smile, even as her eyes rolled back into her head and she completely collapsed on the pavement. Mimi's body quivered for a moment before she fell onto her knees as well. "Tatum…Tatum!"

111

            Upstairs, Taichi had decided to stretch his legs and he began to walk through the hospital halls. He eventually arrived at a small lounge area that was vacant. He fell onto the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

            "Taichi?"

            He looked up and saw Maria wheeling herself over to him. "Where's Agumon and Patamon?"

            "They're with your mother," she smiled slightly, "I just thought I should come and see if you were all right?"

            "Yeah," he said, "I…I just needed some air…"

            The Latino woman nodded. "Um, did you call Hikari?"

            "What's the point?" he asked,  "I mean, what am I suppose to say? Hey Hikari, Mom woke up and ran out to see me when I was fighting Miayag but she went unconscious again so she's right back to where she started. I just don't feel like worrying her like that."

            Maria nodded slowly. "Okay, but, if you don't want to talk to her, then…then m…maybe, I mean, i…if you would like to…"

            Taichi smiled. "You don't have to be so polite all the time. Just say what's on your mind."

            She nodded. "I…I thought that maybe…if you…" She took a deep breath, "If you didn't want to talk to Hikari, then maybe you could talk to me."

            Taichi raised an eyebrow. "What?"

            The young woman began to blush. "If you need to talk about your mother, then why don't you talk to me?"

            The slightly older man stared at her for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Well, um, I really don't know what to say. I mean, I'm worried about her, but…what else can I really do?" He brought his hands into fists, "I just want to help her so badly, but…once my father gets here, I'm going back to the Digital World. I need to focus on bringing down the Demon Lords and saving Sora and Catherine."

            Maria's heart flinched slightly at the mention of the redheaded young woman. She took another deep breath. "T…taichi, wh…what do you think of Sora?"

            He blinked. "What do you mean?"

            She fidgeted in her wheelchair. "Um, I…I just was wondering how you feel about her?"

            Taichi smiled slightly. "Did Hikari put you up to this? Or was it Mimi? Noriko?" He frowned, "My mother?"

            She shook her head. "N…no, I…I was just…."

            Realization slowly dawned on Taichi. He stared at her with a mixture of curiosity and wonderment. "_She really is cute, and just so…innocent...But she's only 18, she's still just a kid. I don't want to break her heart, but…."_

            He took a deep breath. "Listen, Maria, I…I think I know how you're feeling, but…I…I really don't want to hurt you, but, it wouldn't work…"

            She blinked a few times. "But…w…what are you talking about?"

            He frowned. "You know…the way you're feeling about me?"

            Maria was confused for a moment, then blushed even more. "Oh no, you think that….that I….I have feelings for you?"

            Taichi raised his eyebrow. "Don't you?"

            The Latino woman smiled slightly. "I…I don't think of you like that. Y…you're more like a big brother to me."

            Taichi smiled slightly as well. "Well that's good," he exhaled, "You're more like a little sister to me…well, a _littler_ sister."

            Maria giggled slightly. Taichi rose to his feet. "I'd better go back and check on my mother. Coming?"

            "In a minute," she said. He nodded and exited the lounge. As he did, Maria's smile faded and small tears began to fall from her eyes.

            _The Book of Revelation hath ended, the Book of Death now begins_


	17. The Book of Death: Chapter 1

            _Greetings. My name is Keeya Genet, a Chosen from the Sudan in Africa. I was born in poverty and hardship, it was a miracle to have survived through childhood at all. I was five years old before I had a chance to use a telephone, I was ten years old before I had actually seen a television, and I was fifteen before I saw a computer. My youngest brother had become very sick, and, being the eldest, I took a job as a maid in the home of a wealthy landowner. I had been cleaning in his office where his desktop was resting. I, of course, knew what it was, but I must admit that my curiosity had gotten the better of me. I slowly approached the machine, and it exploded with bright light, shooting a strange creature into my arms. That 'creature' introduced himself as Mushmon, and explained that he was my partner digimon. I kept him hidden as well as I could, but, after a few months, I was infected with the Second Black Death. I was told by a visiting Chosen from Egypt that Mushmon required energy from the Digital World itself. That was why the infection was spreading so fast, we were not receiving the proper energy. I knew that I could not burden my family with this problem, and so Mushmon and I moved to the Digital World._

_            It was a strange experience to be in a world of such wonder and awe. We traveled mostly, but then we found Mina. She taught us what we needed to know about our connection, about being a Chosen. She even taught us how to live, despite our impending death._

_            But there were those that were not content to allow us to be as we were. The Digitalatri tried to force those Infected Chosen to believe in their Digital God. The leader, Chihi Miayag, was reveled to be Taichi Yagami's cousin. This revelation sent her into shock and confusion, her loyal priestess, Tatum, formally of the New York Chosen, along with Sam and Vicente, marched to Tokyo to apprehended Taichi. Mimi, along with Noriko, Lynna, Anna, Yuri and Dingo fought to defend Taichi, and they were forced to end the lives of the Digitalatri soldiers. _

_            Now, Taichi, Hikari and Jyou are preparing to enter Form Magnum Island, the capital of the Chosen Council, in order to locate the Council's sinister partners, the Demon Lords, who are holding Sora and Catherine prisoners!_

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Death:_

_Chapter 1:_

--

            Catherine shivered as she rubbed her hands against her bare arms. "Why did it suddenly become so cold in here?"

            "We're in a prison cell," Floramon responded, "It's not exactly heated."

            She gave her an evil stare, "We're in pwison well…" she muttered in a high-pitched imitation of Floramon's voice.

            Piyomon rolled her eyes. "You sound real mature.."

            The French woman was about to respond when she noticed that Sora was staring blankly into the brick wall. "Sora?" she asked.

            The red-headed woman turned to her, her eyes red and swollen. "H…have you been crying?" Catherine asked.

            She quickly shook her head. "N…no," she said.

            The blond woman frowned, but then smiled comfortingly. "Sora," she said, placing her hand on the other woman's shoulders, "Taichi and Yamato are alive, zey have to be."

            "B….but…"

            She shook her head. "No 'buts' Now come on, Sora, we have to be strong. When we zee ze others again, we can help zen defeat these Demon Lords and we'll have peace again. Now be strong, for Taichi, for Yamato, for everyone."

            The redhead did not respond, only stared at her hands. Catherine frowned and was about to try again, when they turned their attention to their cell door, which was opening wider then it had before. Madelyne Osborn, the Secretary of the Chosen Council, stepped through the opening.

            Catherine narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

            Osborn took a deep breath. "Look, I know that ya all probably don't like me, but…I'm sorry about how you've been treated."

            "What?" Sora asked.

            The other young woman nodded. "Yeah. Ya might be our prisoners, but that doesn't mean ya have ta be treated like dirt."

            "And why should we believe you?" Floramon asked.

            Osborn sighed again. "We're the government of this world, we should be followin' the Geneva Conventions, and that means…" She mentioned to the dirty and dank brick cell. "…well, better conditions then this." She shook her head, "But Victor…he's become so greedy, he wants what Cahiti'll give him. I can't turn against him, but…I can give ya this…"

            She mentioned over her shoulder, where her Lalamon partner was wheeling in a television on a small cart. "This is all I can do for ya," she shrugged slightly, "Jus' so ya don't get too bored."

            Catherine stared at her as Osborn exited. "_Merci_," she said.

            Osborn only shrugged slightly and locked the door after she and Lalamon left. They traversed the halls of the temple before reaching the main audience chamber, where the remaining Demon Lords, and Victor von Schmidt, were waiting. "Well?" Schmidt asked.

            Osborn smirked. "That was my greatest performance," she chuckled, "I really shoulda been an actress."

            "And the television?" Asro asked.

            "The only channel it can get is the Digital World's news station," she nodded.

            "Perfect," Schmidt grinned, "Now we just have to make certain that there's something worthy on that station." He glanced at Cahiti.

            The Demon King nodded. "I am truly impressed with your manipulation and cruelty. Be assured, when Yagami's X-Chosen arrive in Form Magnum Island, there will be someone waiting for them, but, now for other business…" He turned to the Demon General.

            "Seiduka, are you ready?"

            He nodded. "The invasion of Center Island can began at a moment's notice."

            The Demon King nodded. "Then began, and drive the Digitalatri from that place!"

            "Oh don't worry," he chuckled, "It'll be a massacre!"

111

            Hikari stared at her brother. "Mom was awake?"

            Taichi nodded. "Yeah, but she's unconscious again…"

            "Well, d…did she say anything?"

            Taichi glanced over at Agumon X, who was giving him an evil glance. The X-Chosen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "No, she didn't." He turned his head around so he did not need to see Agumon X's accusing stare. He instead stared across the icy blue water to the island floating in the distance. He could just make out the top of the Curia Hostillia building, it giant flag blowing in the wind. Jyou walked to his side.

            "We can get across the Island Channel without any trouble," he said, "But I'm a little worried about the security."

            "We'll get inside," Taichi said, "Don't worry. So, what's your plan for getting over the channel?"

            He pointed over his shoulder to a small dock. "Exclusive ferry. By the way, how much money do you have on you…?"

            Half-an-hour later, the X-Chosen were seated on top of a Whamon as he shot through the ocean waters. "We're making pretty good time," Gomamon X said.

            "Should be," Taichi muttered, "It cost me everything I had…"

            Hikari giggled. "Broke again, huh?"

            He frowned. "Yeah, you might have to pay the rent again this month…"

            "Hey," Jyou said, "If you ever need money, you can always ask me…"

            "That's probably not a good idea," Hikari frowned, "Money shouldn't come between friends."

            "Yeah, you're probably right," he said.

            Taichi smiled. "What?" his sister asked.

            "Nothing," he said. _"Friends,"_ he thought, "_Yeah, we're finally friends again."_

111

            On the other side of the Digital World, in the recently liberated city of Ausata, Yamato and Michael were eagerly awaiting the return of Mimi. When she appeared through one of the Digital Gates, Michael ran to his wife, but he was slightly surprised when she embraced him tightly.

            "W…what's wrong?" he asked.

            She sniffled. "Michael, it's…..Tatum and Sam, th…they're dead!"

            The blond man felt a sharp pain in his heart. "W…what?"

            The young woman stared at her husband with tear-stained eyes. "T...Taichi had some kind of…of fight with Miayag, and M…Miayag lost, and Tatum and Sam came to kidnap him! He was with his mother, so I wouldn't let them near him, and…and…Y…Yuri and Anna killed Sam, and….and I killed Tatum!" She began to cry again, burying her face in his shoulders.

            "Oh Mimi," he said, hugging her tightly, "I'm sorry that you had to do that."

            "Yeah," Yamato said, stepping closer, "It's never easy when you have to kill to begin with, but one of your friends..."

            Michael continued to hug her. "But, hey, you saved Taichi, right?"

            Her crying slowed. She pulled her head back to look him in the face. "Yeah, I guess…."

            "There," Palmon X said, lightly patting her on the back with her long vines, "See, Taichi might be being tortured right now if we didn't do what we had to. And with Taichi free, then we probably got a better chance of finding Sora and Catherine. We didn't need more people to rescue."

            The young woman sniffled and wiped her nose. "Y…Yeah, I guess so…"

            "Did Taichi come back to the Digital World too?" Yamato asked.

            Mimi nodded. "Yeah, he and Hikari and Jyou should be trying to get into the Chosen Council's base right now."

            Yamato glanced at his watch. "All right Taichi, you told us to wait here until you found out where Sora and Catherine are, but I'm not waiting forever." He turned to the other members of his team, "I'm giving him two hours, if he doesn't contact us by then, we're going to help, sound good?"

            The others nodded.

111

'

            Noriko hesitated as she stood on the wooden porch. She nervously fingered the hem of her dress with her left hand while her right hand hovered over the door. "Aren't you going to knock?" her Plotmon asked.

            "I….I'm just a little nervous…"

            "Why?" she asked.

            The brown-haired woman sighed. "You wouldn't understand…"

            "Then don't try to explain, just knock."

            Noriko frowned and knocked on the door. There was a shuffling of feet and the door opened a moment later to reveal an elderly Chinese woman. "Yes, can I…Noriko?"

            "H…hi, Mom," she smiled.

            The elderly woman grinned. "Come in, come in. Oh, I see Plotmon is with you."

            "Hello Mrs. Kawada," Plotmon grinned as she trotted after her partner. Noriko's mother led them into the living room, where they sat down on a red plush couch.

            "Your father is with his friends at a baseball game. I swear, sometimes that man acts like a teenager," she chuckled slightly, "So, it's been a while since we talked, what have you been up to?"

            The young woman sighed. "Well, there's something that's been going on in the Digital World, and…and with me…"

            Her mother raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

            "Well, this weird….energy from inside me, the power of darkness…"

            "Darkness?" her mother asked.

            "Nothing bad," she smiled, "It's not evil, just…the opposite of light, but, listen, I think I got it from Grandma…."

            "My mother?" Mrs. Kawada asked.

            Noriko nodded. "Yeah, I...well, there's more then just me, and…and we think that we got our powers from our grandparents, who were the First Chosen. Did…did grandma ever go to the Digital World?"

            Her mother shook her head. "I don't think so, why are you saying these things?"

            "It's nothing bad, Mom!" she protested, "I'm just trying to figure things out! Please…"

            Her mother shook her head. "I don't know, if she did, she never told me."

            She frowned and scratched what was left of her hair. "Um….ah, in the Machina Codex…"

"What?"

            She shook her head. "Nothing, um, how about Yuushi?"

            She thought for a long moment, then her eyes opened wide.

"You remember something?" Noriko asked.

Her mother nodded.  "I….I remember when we first moved to Tokyo from Beijing, I was scared and afraid that I would never fit in, but, my mother said she knew someone, and that he had a daughter my age. She brought me over to their home and introduced them as Jiro Kaji, and his daughter, Toshiko…"

            Noriko gasped. "Sora's mother is Toshiko! Holy fucking shit!"

            Mrs. Kawada gasped at her daughter's language. Noriko blushed. "S…sorry…."

            "Anyway," she said, glancing sideways at her daughter, "Whenever Toshiko and I would see each other, my mother and her father would be downstairs talking. We could hear them, though, and he would always call my mother, "Daiyu," and she called him, "Hidokoro.' We didn't understand what they were talking about, but they usually talked about someone named, "Yuushi."

            Noriko nodded. "Yeah, we think that Yuushi might be Taichi and Hikari's grandfather, judging by the fact that the rest of the First Chosen were the other's grandparents."

            Her mother nodded. "Well, whoever this "Yuushi" was, they talked like he was no longer with us."

            "I've got a question," Plotmon chirped in, "If you and Sora's mother were friends, how come Noriko and Sora didn't meet until the whole Dark Spore thing?"

            Mrs. Kawada smiled slightly. "After our parents died, we just kind of lost touch. But, what does this mean?"

            The young woman sighed and turned her head to the side. "I don't know, but it could be tied to the end of the Digital World. I just wish Grandma was still alive to ask her."

            Mrs. Kawada frowned. "Yes, but why don't you ask your friends' grandparents?"

            "I can't," she sighed, "They're dead too. They all died right before Taichi and the others entered the Digital World."

            "Really?" her mother asked.

            Noriko nodded. "I just wish we knew what they did, what kind of heroes they really were."

111

            Due to the lack of directly sunlight, the prisoners of the Demon Lords could not tell night from day. They slept in odd interviews and schedules, each partnership staying awake so the other could sleep. However, their fatigue soon got the better of them, and all four females collapsed into sleep. That was, until Sora shot awake, screaming in unseen terror.

            "Sora?" Piyomon shouted, "Sora!"

            Floramon stood to the side, only staring in horror. Catherine ran to Sora, who was screaming and thrashing her arms about. The French woman grabbed the Japanese woman by the shoulders and shook her forcibly. "Sora!" she shouted, "Sora! Sora!"

            The redhead's screams slowly stopped and she blinked a few times. "C…Catherine?" she asked.

            The other woman nodded. "_Oui_."

            Sora shook for a moment before hugging her tightly. "Oh Catherine!" she gasped, "It…it was horrible!"

            "What?" Catherine asked, "What is it?"

            "A nightmare!" she shouted, "Horrible, terrible images! There was fire, and….evil! There was evil everywhere. Catherine, I…I saw a dragon, an evil dragon, and he was holding the Digital World in his hands!"

            "It iz okay," Catherine said, hugging her, "It waz only a dream."

            "Wait," Floramon said, "Catherine, didn't you have dreams too?"

            "_Oui,_" she nodded.

            "And didn't your dream say there was going to be another one….?"

            The French woman gasped. "Oh my! Sora," she gasped, "Y…you're the Second Messenger!"

            Neither Sora nor Piyomon gave much thought to Catherine's statement. The redhead was still shaking from her dream, and the pink bird was comforting her as best she could. Catherine turned her attention to the television set. "Here, why don't we take our minds off of zat." She powered on the device and began to flip through the channels. She frowned. "Ze only zing zat is on is ze news," she said.

            "That's fine," Sora said, "Just…please…."

            Catherine nodded and placed her hand around the redhead's shoulder. "It will be okay, it will…be okay…"

111

            When Taichi's group of X-Chosen arrived on Form Magnum Island, they were slightly surprised to notice that there were very few Chosen and digimon wandering around. "Maybe it's a holiday?" Gomamon X suggested, "Or they closed down for a few days?"

            "Maybe," Taichi said, "But I'd bet this is some kind of trap." He turned to his team, "Keep your eyes and ears open, if anything looks out of the ordinary, speak up!" He nodded, "All right, let's move."

            They walked through the open gate and marched through the deserted streets. They passed by a young woman with a Bakemon for a partner. "Taichi," Hikari said, tugging on his arm, "Why don't we ask what's going on?"

            He nodded. "Yeah, all right."

            Hikari wandered over to the young woman. "Excuse me, why are there so few people here?"

            She looked at her strangely. "Don't you know? The Council Senate has been closed for the past few days to do the fact that both Osborn and Schmidt have taken time off."

            "Oh, sorry," Hikari smiled, "I…uh…was out of the Digital World for a few days."

            The other young woman nodded. "I think they'll be opening again next week, but I'm not sure."

            "Oh, that's okay. Um, do you know where Schmidt and Osborn are?"

            She shook her head. "No, I don't. Sorry."

            Hikari nodded. "Okay, thank you." She walked back to the others. "Okay, the place is closed because Schmidt and Osborn are gone."

            Taichi smiled. "All right, we should be able to walk right inside. But it could still be a trap."

            "It probably is," Jyou muttered.

            They walked in silence until they arrived at the large wooden double doors that comprised the entrance to the Curia Hostilia, the main building of the Chosen Council. Taichi grabbed the metal handle bars, and pulled back, but the doors would not open. He pulled again, this time hearing a clanging noise. "It's locked," he said, "Damn it." He ran from the front door and began to look around the concrete building. He was scanning every window, every inch of space, but found no opening.

            "Shit," he swore, "How do we get inside now?"

            "Taichi!" Agumon X exclaimed, "Look!"

            The young man followed his partner's pointed claw to a window on the second floor, which was opened slightly. "Cool," Gomamon X, "There's our way in."

            "Yeah," Taichi said, "It seems a little…too convenient."

            "Someone probably just forgot to close it before they went on vacation," Plotmon X said, "Come on, let's go."

            The bushy-haired young man nodded. "Yeah, all right, let's go."

            Plotmon X evolved to Tailmon X, and she easily climbed up the side of the building before reaching the window. She sneaked inside and lifted the window entirely open. She then attached one end of the rope she had been carrying to a thick desk inside the room and threw the other end to the ground. Taichi and the others quickly climbed to the window and jumped inside.

            "Where are we anyway?" Agumon X asked.

            "Some kind of office," Jyou said.

            "How do you know?" Hikari asked.

            "Because I just slammed my foot into a metal safe," he groaned. He hopped forward on his uninjured foot but tripped over the desk and fell onto the floor. For some reason Taichi and Agumon X joined him, and pulled Gomamon X with them. Hikari ran her hand along the wall until she found the light switch and flicked it up, illuminating the room. She found the male members of her group tangled in a mess on the floor, along with a pile of paper, office supplies and the desk chair. "What happened?" Tailmon X gasped.

            Taichi growled as he rose to his feet. "Jyou tried to get to his feet but grabbed my leg and pulled me down, then I grabbed Agumon and Gomamon."

            "It was pretty cool though," the orange dinosaur chuckled.

            Hikari shook her head. "Boys are still boys," she sighed.

            After the males untangled themselves, they exited the office and began to wander through the darkened halls. They chose not to turn any lights on for fear that they would be seen from the streets. "What are we looking for anyway?" Agumon X asked.

            "Well," Taichi began, "I'm betting that reason Schmidt and Osborn aren't here is because they're where ever the Demon Lord's base is, and since they're the two highest ranking members of the Chosen Council, they're location is probably logged somewhere, like the travel department or the expense department…"

            "Not a bad theory," Jyou said, "But how are you going to find that information?"

            Taichi was scanning the words printed on the doors as they past them in the hall. He stopped in front of a door that displayed the words "ACCOUNTING." He grinned and pointed to the door. "Here."

            Taichi opened the door and peeked inside. There were shelves lined with stacks of papers, books thrown about and a messy pile of cd's and even floppys on the desk. A small desktop computer was covered with food stains and dust. "Jeeze," Jyou said, "The Secretary of the Treasury isn't very organized, huh?"

            "Just start looking for information," Taichi ordered.

            Hikari and Taichi and their partners began to search through the stacks of papers while Jyou and Gomamon X examined the computer files. "They sure spent a lot refurbishing this place," Taichi said, looking through the first book of papers, "Looks like they just paid the digimon workers with food…"

            Hikari flipped through a few books before she pulled out a rectangle designed with an image of the four Sovereigns, Qinglongmon in the upper left, Xuwanamon in the lower left, Baihumon in the lower right, and Zhuqioamon in the upper right. In the center was the symbol of the Chosen Council, two C's interlocked with each other. "Looks like they're thinking of making a currency for the Digital World..."

            "What are they calling it?" Agumon X asked.

            She looked over the notes and frowned. "The Digi-dollar."

            Taichi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, this is a real good administration…"

            Jyou called to them. "Hey, I think I found something…"

            The others ran to him and looked over his shoulder. On the computer screen was a spreadsheet that contained lists of information. Jyou pointed to a line, "Here, it says that Schmidt and Osborn have been taking trips, almost four or five times a day, to a place in the Asharlara Desert."

            "That's in the middle of the Eastern Continent," Taichi added.

            "Right," Jyou continued, "And, according to this, that's where they are now."

            "That's go to be where the Demon Lord's base is," their leader grinned, "And since I had the foresight to keep Yamato's group in Ausata, they'll get to the desert before we'd get there. All right." He used his cellphone to inform Yamato where his group would be heading before pocketing his communication device.

            "Let's hurry up and get out of here," he said.

            They quickly exited the room. "How do we get out?" Tailmon X asked, "Through the way we got in?"

            Taichi thought for a moment. "Why don't we try the front door this time?" he said.

            "But it's locked," Hikari protested.

            "From the outside, we might be able to walk out from the inside. Come on."

            His sister agreed and followed him as they moved through the darkened halls. The walls were covered with paintings of various council members. Taichi grumbled. "I wonder how much money they wasted commissioning paintings when they could have spent it finding a cure for BD-2."

"You don't like governments too much do you?" Jyou asked.

"That's not true," he said, "I just don't like _corrupt_ governments, and the Chosen Council's a bunch of self-serving bastards."

Hikari smiled.  "And you were going to change all that, right?"

            He nodded. "That's right."

            They continued on until they arrived at the giant double doors that comprised the entrance. There was a giant lock attached to the right door, with a simple twisting knob. "Oh, I get it," Jyou said, "The actual lock is on the outside. Whoever has the key just comes by and opens it in the morning."

            Gomamon X gave him an odd glance. "So all we have to do is turn that lock?" His partner nodded.

            "Great," Taichi grinned. He walked over and twisted the knob, releasing the bars that held the doors firmly in place. However, once he did, an alarm began to sound and blast throughout the halls. He turned to the others and gave a sheepish smile. "Oops."

            "Let's get out of here!" Hikari shouted.

            They pushed open the doors and ran down the stairs as fast as they could. However, once they stepped onto the courtyard, a burst of black light appeared a few feet before them, revealing the Demon Watcher, Enk, and his curled up, snoring partner, Belphemon. The Demon Lord gave a slight wave. "Hey."

            "Oniichan," Hikari said, "Yamato said that's the Demon Lord of Sloth."

            Taichi nodded, then turned his attention back to him. "What do you want?"

            Enk shrugged. "You know, I've got orders to kill you, bring in your heads…that kind of thing."

            "Right," Agumon X laughed, "And what're you gonna do about it? It looks like your partner hasn't woke up from his nap yet…"

            Enk only shrugged again. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wake him up then." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The curled digimon slowly unfurled, rising to his feet revealing a giant, horned creature with massive wings and razor claws.

            Gomamon X gulped. "I wished he would have stayed asleep…"

            Enk smirked. "You have no idea." He held up his wrist, which contained a green glowing crystal.

            "That's Keeya's energy, isn't it?" Hikari asked.

            Enk nodded slightly. "That's right, and since I don't really want to fight you, I'm just gonna make sure that I win this fight as quickly as possible." He twisted his arm around and jabbed himself in the stomach with the glowing crystal. The object slowly disappeared into his stomach. Bolts of green energy began to flow around him, quickly picking up speed to create a whirlwind of energy. This cyclone grew in size until it enveloped Belphemon as well. There were burst of energy and force as the whirlwind grew in intensity until it exploded. In the place of Enk and Belphemon, there now stood a combined version of the demonic duo, a larger, more muscular version of the Demon Lord of Sloth, with long claws, sharp horns and tattered wings.

            "Oh crap," Taichi muttered, "Not again."

            Enk/Belphemon roared and shot forward, raising his massive fists. The X-Chosen jumped from harm's way with seconds to spare as the fused human/digimon's fists smashed into the stairs, sending sharps of pavement into the air. The X-Chosen evolved to their highest forms and surrounded their enemy. Enk.Belphemon studied his opponents carefully: Anomalocarimon X was to his right, Metalgreymon X was towering over him to the left, and Nefertimon X was hovering over head. He raised his arms to attack Metalgreymon X, when Anomalocarimon X charged forward, swinging his pincers into Enk/Belphemon's leg. The fused human/digimon swung his arms around, smacking the giant crustacean onto his back. Metalgreymon X stomped forward, but Enk/Belphemon twisted around in time and punched the dinosaur as hard as he could.

            "Metalgreymon!" Nefterimon X shouted, swooping down from the sky. Enk/Belphemon twisted around and grabbed the angelic feline by the hind leg. She struggled as hard as she could to escape, but the fused human/digimon was stronger and smashed her into Metalgreymon X without much effort. While they were attempting to free themselves Anomalocarimon X came in from the left to attack with his Twin Blade technique. Enk/Belphemon growled as pain shot up his back. He twisted around with surprising speed and backhanded him into the fence around the building.

            "Crud," Taichi muttered.

111

            Deep within the Demon Lords' temple base, Catherine lazily flipped through the channels. _"_Zere is not'ing on to watch."

            "That's always the problem," Piyomon muttered, "Right Sora?" She looked over her shoulder and saw that her partner was seated against the back wall, her head resting on her bended knee. The pink bird walked over and hugged her. "Sora, what's wrong?"

            "That dream…that nightmare," she answered, "Something really bad is going to happen, really bad."

            Catherine paused in her channel surfing and turned to the red-headed woman. "_I have never seen her like this before,"_ she thought, "_That nightmare must have been really bad. A dragon, I wonder what that means?"_ She shrugged slightly and was about to turn the channel again when Sora called out to her.

            "Catherine, stop!"

            The French woman turned to her. The Japanese woman hobbled over on her remaining foot so she could stare at the television screen. It was displaying an image of the Curia Hostilla, but the red head was focusing more on the giant cybernetic dinosaur. "Taichi!" she shouted, "H….He's alive!"

            Piyomon looked over Sora's shoulder. "And there's Hikari and Jyou. They're all alive!"

            "_Bâtard!_" Catherine sword, "He lied to us!"

            Sora watched the television screen closely as the fused Enk/Belphemon bashed and punched the three X-digimon. "They need our help!"

            "Sora?" Piyomon asked.

            "Come on!" she shouted, "What are you waiting for!"

            "And what exactly are we going to do?" Catherine shouted.

            "We'll give them our energy," she said, "Just like Noriko and the others did."

            "I don't know," Catherine responded, "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

            "They need our help!" the redhead shouted again, "I thought they were dead before, I don't want them to be killed for real this time! Catherine, please!"

            The French woman did not completely agree with the Japanese woman, but she complied non-the-less. "How are we even going to do zis?" she asked.

            Sora thought for a moment, then held up her digivice. "This always worked before. Just concentrate and focus…" The other young woman nodded and closed her eyes. Both of them thought of only helping their friends, of giving them the power they would need. Catherine and Sora began to glow, Catherine a bright white and Sora a bright red. They energy flowed down their arms and into their digivices. The light shot to the television, but before it smashed into the screen, the light suddenly twisted directions and shot through the top of their cell, easily passing through the thick concrete.

            "There," Sora smiled, "Taichi, that's for you."

            The prisoners did not see, however, that the energy they had sent for their friends had been redirected to the very top of the Demon Lords' temple, specifically the energy-siphoning Soul Catcher device that was attached to Cahiti's wrist. The Demon King watched in near-glee as Sora and Catherine's energy swirled around him before slamming into the two dull crystals on the ancient device. Now, all eight crystals began to glow with fierce intensity.

            "Yes!" Cahiti shouted, "All the energy is mine at last! This world is doomed!"

111

            Back at Form Magnum Island, Taichi's group had not received the energy from Sora and Catherine, as all of it had been taken by the Demon Lord. They continued to defend themselves as best they could against the onslaught of Enk/Belphemon's savagery.

            Anomalocarimon X charged at his back, his twin pincers swinging in front of him. He managed to slash a gash in the fused human/digimon's back, but he shot around, once again displaying surprising speed and sent him careening into the air with a two-punch combo. The large crustacean attempted to twist around before he slammed into the pavement. Enk/Belphemon was waiting for him as he fell, grinning maliciously. Before the fused human/digimon could attack, Metalgreymon X bashed his head into Enk/Belphemon's back, forcing him to fall onto his knees. Anomalocarimon X fell down at that moment, smashing onto the demon's back and bouncing onto the ground. The demon rose to his feet, but Nefertimon X cam around and fired a barrage of her Rosetta Stone attacks in quick succession, smacking him in the face and knocking him onto his back.

            "Yeah!" Taichi cheered, "That's teamwork! Yeah!"

            Enk/Belphemon jumped back to his feet and roared loudly. He charged at Metalgreymon X. The dinosaur threw his hands up at the last second, locking into Enk/Belphemon's large hands. The two behemoths pushed and struggled to overpower the other.

The X-Chosen cheered on the dinosaur. "Come on Metalgreymon!" Taichi shouted, "Come on!"

Enk/Belphemon roared and pushed against Metalgreymon X. The dinosaur felt himself sliding backwards, so he dug his giant feet into the pavement. Both giants struggled with all of their might, trying to overpower the others with all of their strength. Enk/Belphemon glanced down to Metalgreymon X's legs and grinned maliciously. He brought his leg up and slammed his knee into the dinosaur's lower abdomen. He groaned and slowly fell to his knees. Enk/Belphemon punched his metal nose with all of his might, knocking him to the ground.

            "Hold on!" Anomalocarimon X shouted. He crossed his twin pincers then threw them apart, sending two blades of energy into Enk/Belphemon's back. He stumbled forward, then twisted to face the crustacean. He spewed out a blast of dark mist that struck Anomalocarimon X in the eyes.

            "Take my Gift of Darkness!" he laughed.

            The crustacean squirmed around on the floor. "What's wrong?" Jyou shouted.

            "I can't see!" he shouted, "I can't see!"

            Enk/Belphemon laughed and stomped after him. Nefertimon X shot around and fired her Rosetta Stone attack again, striking the demon in the back of the head once again. He spun around and growled. "I'm getting tired of that!" He shot his arm up to grab her hind legs and swung her into the ground. He do so again, this time with more force. He was about to repeat his attack, but Metalgreymon leapt to his feet and backhanded him with his metal arm. Enk/Belphemon stumbled backwards, and Metalgreymon X charged over, swinging open his metal chest plate to reveal his hidden missiles. He grinned wickedly and fired his Giga Destroyer attack at point-blank range. The force threw the fused digimon onto his back and he skidded into the concrete building. He attempted to rise to his feet, but Nefertimon X's Rosetta Stone attack threw him back to the ground. Before he could rise again, Metalgreymon X smashed his foot down on his chest, forcing him to remain on the ground.

            "All right!" Taichi cheered.

            Nefertimon X hovered over the fallen demon lord. "All right," she said, "Where are Sora and Catherine?"

            Enk/Belphemon chuckled. "I'm not going to tell you…"

            "Why not?" Metalgreymon X demanded.

            "Just….just because I don't feel like it," he laughed, "I'll only tell you this…you've been played all along…"

            "What?" Metalgreymon X shouted.

            "We've…been using you from the beginning. The only reason you're still alive is because we were ordered to hold back. And right now, I was ordered to kill you, just because we needed Takenouchi and Rupert to give us what we needed."

            "What are you talking about?" Nefertimon X asked.

            He ignored her and continued speaking, "You're all nothing but pawns!"

            He flexed his muscles and threw Metalgreymon X's foot off of him. Enk/Belphemon raised his fists to attack when Anomalocarimon X suddenly appeared in front of him. He executed his Tail Blade attack, sending twin beams of energy at the fused digimon, specifically his neck. The energy beams slashed through his thick muscles. He twitched for a moment before falling backwards, his head separating from his shoulders. His body exploded into data and dissolved into the air.

            The three X-digimon ran to their partners and regressed to their child levels. Jyou lifted Gomamon X and lifted rubbed his head. "Good job buddy."

            Taichi glanced over his shoulder at the damaged building. The alarm had been destroyed during the battle, but he was certain that the Chosen Council would be arriving shortly. "Let's get out of here," he ordered.

            The others nodded and they quickly disappeared.

111

            After vacating Form Magnum Island, Taichi's group of X-Chosen had run far from the coastline. Once they were certain they were far from any searching on the part of the Chosen Council, they began to discus the speech made by Enk.

            Plotmon X shook her head. "What did he mean, we're all pawns?"

            "Isn't it obvious?" Jyou asked, "They were using us."

            "But how?" Hikari asked.

            "They needed us," Taichi said, "Probably so they could get the energy from Noriko and the others. And then…" He shook his head, "Someone having us alive meant that Sora and Catherine gave up their energy too. Shit, does that mean Cahiti can….do whatever it is he wants to do? And…if they got the energy from Sora and Catherine, does that mean they don't need them alive anymore?"

            The others all felt a chill up their spine as well. "T…they'll be fine," Hikari said, trying to sound hopeful, "I mean, Yamato's going after them now, right?"

            "Let's just hope he gets there in time," Agumon X said.

            Taichi frowned and glanced up at the sky. "Sora…"

111

            Cahiti, the Demon King, was still on the temple roof when the Demon General approached him. Seiduka stared at the fully glowing Soul Catcher and nodded to himself. "I assume it worked?"

            "Yes," the Demon King grinned, "We have full power!"

            "All it took was the lost of Enk…"

            "Enk was a lazy slob," Cahiti responded. He turned to his general, "Is your army ready?"

            He nodded. "Yes, we can move at a moment's notice."

            "Then go," the Demon King said, "Purge the Castle of the First Chosen of those religious fanatics, the Digitalatri. Claim the Center Island so that _I may remake this world in my own image!"_

111

            The Desert of Asharlara was a mysterious and wondrous place, even for the Digital World. Countless legends spoke of it, and the earliest artifacts were discovered there. Scientists agree that it was once a lush and tropical garden, but due to overuse and poor agricultural practices by the earliest digimon, it transformed into an arid and dry desert. Folklore spoke of ancient and extinct civilizations that once thrived there, but science and story alike both agree that the Asharlara Desert could very well be where life began in the Digital World.

            Mimi was not admiring the mystery of that desert, she was more concerned about the sand being blown into her hair. "Man," she whined, "This is just like when we fought Etemon, it took weeks to get it all out."

            Michael rolled his eyes. Somehow, Mimi saw him. "What was that for?"

            "Uh…nothing," he quickly said, turning his head away.

            She crossed her arms. "If you got something to say, then just say it."

            He turned to her. "I don't have anything to say."

            This time, _she_ rolled her eyes. "Typical man…"

            "What's that suppose to mean?" Michael asked.

            She gave a sarcastic smile. "Uh…nothing," she said, her voice deep in an imitation of his voice.

            "Oh come on," he sighed.

            She sighed. "You men are all alike you know, every one of you."

            "What the hell did _we_ do?" Yamato asked, mentioning to Betamon X and Gabumon X.

            "You're men that's what!" she shouted, "Oh, I wish Hikari was here…"

            The fours males tried to image Hikari with Mimi's attitude, but found it to be a funny sight. They each smiled slightly at their mental image, which only enraged Mimi more. "Arg!" she screamed, throwing her hands into the air. "You're all impossible!"

            This time, Michael's grin was at her expense.

            They continued on in silence, trekking through the desert. "Do we have any idea where we're going?" Betamon X asked.

            "Taichi just told us to come here," Yamato answered. He stopped to stare at the sand dunes and jagged black mountains that stretched for miles. "But this could be a needle in a haystack, huh?"

            Gabumon X began to sniff the air. "What's wrong?" his partner asked.

            "I smell something, someone scent…"

            "Hey," Palmon X said, "I hear something….something loud…"

            Michael began to look around quickly. He mentioned to one of the large jagged rocks sticking up out of the sand. "There!" he shouted, "Get behind it!"

            The X-Chosen dove beyond the large stone and hid in the shadow. They kept their eyes strained to the horizon, and soon a large black shadow erupted over the horizon, spreading out across the sky. As it moved closer, the X-Chosen could see more clearly that the shadow was actually comprised of dark, winged creatures. "Devimons!" Mimi gasped.

            "And Devidramons," Palmon X added, "And Evilmons and…"

            "It's a demon army," Michael interrupted.

            Yamato scowled as he stared at two humans riding two Devidramons. "Seiduka and Asro are leading them. Where are they going?"

            "Back to their base?" Mimi suggested.

            He shook his head. "They're heading out of the desert, which means…" He turned around to the distance, "_That_ must be where their base is. Come on."

            They continued through the desert heat until they were able to see a structure in the distance. They grinned to one another and began to move at quicker pace across the dunes and jagged mountains. When they were close enough, they soon realized that the object seen had only been a large mountain.

            "Damn it!" Yamato swore, dropping to his rear. "Shit, I'm exhausted. I need some water…"

            Gabumon X threw him a bottle from his waist. The blond man squeezed a stream into his throat. He wiped his mouth and looked up to the burning sun. "Ya know," he panted, "Maybe Taichi sent us out here on a wild goose chase. He's trying to get rid of me….that bastard, I knew he hated me…"

            Mimi chuckled as she collapsed onto the ground. "He probably wasn't alone. I always knew Hikari was jealous of me."

            Michael panted and she sat next to his wife. "Jyou's probably laughing his ass off right now." He turned to the others smiling, "We're gonna get them back for this. Let's send them somewhere _really_ cold…"

            "I like the way you think," Yamato smiled. The X-Chosen glanced at one another, then started laughing. Their digimon partners looked at each other nervously.

            "Great," Betamon X said, "They've lost their minds…"

            Palmon X turned her head around, glancing up at the mountain. She thought she saw an odd protrusion near the top, almost like a small balcony. Her eyes opened wide and she ran around to the other side of the mountain. Gabumon X turned to Betamon X. "Where is she going?"

            He was going to respond that he did not know, when the plant digimon called out to them. The X-Chosen jumped to their feet and ran around to join her. Palmon X was pointing up. They turned their attention to the sky and gasped loudly. Etched into the side of the mountain was a series of horrendous, evil statues, below that was an arched structure, overlooking two stone doors.

            The others looked to Yamato, who only shrugged. "Works for me, let's go."

            They cautiously approached the stone doors and slowly opened them to reveal a long, dark hall. They nodded to one another and ventured into the darkness. "Let's keep it slow and quiet," Yamato whispered, "And hopefully we'll get to Sora and Catherine and get out before anyone knows we're here."

            "You really think that?" Gabumon X asked.

            "No," he said, "But it sounds good, doesn't it?"

111

              Yamato's group was not aware of it, but they should have been running through the mysterious building as fast as they good, for down below in the prison cell, Sora and Catherine had received an unwelcome guest, Cahiti, King of the Demon Lords, and Victor von Schmidt of the Chosen Council.

            "What do you want now?" Sora asked.

            Cahiti smiled. "Just thought I should let you know, we will be leaving this location soon."

            "What?" Piyomon asked.

            "We're going to the Center Island," he replied, "And you will be journeying with us." He slammed the door shut and they began to walk back through the halls.

            "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave them alive?" Schmdit asked, "Now that you've got what you wanted."

            "They can still serve another purpose," Cahiti said, "By keeping them alive, the X-Chosen will come to where ever we are, but if we kill them now, then they might come up with a better plan to defeat us."

            "I guess," he responded.

            "We will be leaving within the hour," he said.

            "Got it," he said.

111

            A few floors above, Yamato's group continued in silence as they journeyed deeper into the darkness. The scene became so pitch that they could not see anything before them. They had brought flashlights, but were reluctant to use them as they did not want the Demon Lords to know they were trespassing in their territory.

            The tunnel they were traveling through eventually came to an end and the darkness parted. Stretching before them was a large circular room, with seven seats attached to the far wall, the one in the center being the largest, and the height of each chair decreased through the line. In the center of the floor was a bright red circle. "What do you suppose this place is?" Gabumon X asked, finally breaking their silence.

            "Looks like their throne room," Yamato replied.

            Michael and Betamon X began to look at the mural which adorned the circular walls. It contained images of frightening creatures, born of nightmares and evil intentions. "Look at this."

            The others walked over and were equally as horrified at the pictures before them. "They're demons," Gabumon X said, "All of them."

            Mimi looked to their digimon. "Do you know them?"

            "Yeah," Palmon X said, "We heard about them in stories since we were really young." She began to point to different images painted on the walls. "Look, there's Devimon, and Devidramon…"

            "Myotismon's over here," Gabumon X added, "And here's Apocalymon…and Diablomon…"

            "Look over here," Betamon X said, mentioning to another set of painted images, "These are digimon we've never seen before, Mephistomon, Gulfmon, Deathmon, GranDracmon, Ornithmon…Wait, who's this?"

            He paused before a painting of a large human-like digimon, with giant wings, and covered with black armor. The others walked over and studied the image carefully until Betamon X deduced the identity of the mysterious painting. "It's Murmixmon, and he's got the Soul Catcher on his arm."

            "How can you tell?" Palmon X asked.

            He mentioned to a scribbled set of symbols beneath the image. "I just read it."

            The flower digimon glared at him while the humans began to converse. "What's an image of Murmixmon doing here? Murmixmon was the emperor of Ceria, but their capital was Nightsun, all the way on the other side of the continent."

            "Maybe when the Demon Lords built this place, they put his image there because they admire him?" Michael suggested.

            "I don't think so, this place seems pretty old."

            "I don't know," Mimi said, sniffing the air, "But, doesn't it stink in here?"

            "Yeah," Yamato said, "And come to think of it, didn't it get colder in here?"

            They each glanced at Murmixmon's picture and shivered. "Come on," the blond man said, "Let's keep going."

            They walked past the images and exited through another tunnel in the rear. They continued through the maze of halls before arriving at a step staircase. They cautiously descended the shallow steps and arrived in another hall, this one had walls of cold, jagged rocks. "I think we're at the bottom floor," Mimi commented.

            "Just be careful," Yamato said, "There're sharp points everywhere."

            They walked for a few moments more before they arrived at a section of the hall where there were doors running along both sides, doors with a small barred window. "This must be the prison section," Yamato smiled. "Start looking."

            They began to peer into the barred windows of each room, but found each one to be completely empty. The last door they examined was unlocked, so they began to examine the small cell. "There's a television here," Mimi said.

            Yamato began to look at the ground and found a pile of reddish orange hair, along with a collection of pink feathers.  "They were here," he said, "Sora and Piyomon were here."

            "What about Catherine and Floramon?" Mimi asked, "Were they somewhere else?"

            Gabumon X began to sniff the ground. "No, I have their scents. Catherine and Floramon were here too."

            "They wouldn't leave any hair anyway," Yamato added.

            "Why?" Palmon X asked.

            "Because Floramon is made of vines and Catherine doesn't have any hair."

            Mimi's eyes opened wide. "She's…bald?"

            Yamato narrowed her eyes at her. "Yeah, BD-2 took her hair away…"

            The young woman shook her head quickly. "I didn't mean it like that…"

            Before an argument could erupt, Gabumon X began to sniff the air. "What?" Yamato asked.

            "The scents are fresh." He ran out of the room, followed closely by the others. They ran down the hall until they arrived at an intersecting tunnel. They slowed to a stop as they heard loud voices echo across the walls.

\           "Stop struggling!" a voice with a German accent shouted.

            "Subdue her at once!" another voice shouted, this one deep and commanding.

            "No!" a high-pitched female voice screeched," Stay away! _Vous bâtard! Permettez-moi d'aller!!"_

            "French?" Mimi asked.

            "Catherine!" Yamto gasped. He charged around the corner and entered a large cavern with layers of cliffs along the walls. Standing on the other side of the large room, in front of an exit doorway, was Cahiti and Schmidt; slung over their shoulders were Sora and Catherine. Behind them were their digimon partners, with Piyomon and Floramon over their shoulders. Each of the females had their hands and feet bound and tied tightly.

            "Schmidt!" Michael shouted loudly.

            Sora and Catherine perked their ears when they heard Michael's voice. They twisted their heads to stare at Yamato's trio of X-Chosen. "Yamato!" they both shouted in unison.

            "Help us!" Sora shouted, "Please!"

            "Silence!" Cahiti ordered, shaking his shoulder forcibly.

            The X-digimon evolved to their highest forms and charged forward, but came to a stop as an arrow shot into the ground in front of them. Two more arrows joined it, and soon, they were surrounded by a circle of the projectiles. They turned to the ceiling and saw a large centaur-creature with a bow and arrow in his hands standing on one of the ledges. He used the lower ledges to leap to the ground, where a young man with a crew cut of blond hair leapt from his back.

            Yamato stared at him. "You…"

            Samuel Sterns smirked. He looked over his shoulder at Cahiti and Schmidt. "Go head, I'll handle this."

            They nodded and charged out the exit, ignoring Sora and Catherine's screams. The X-Chosen tried to run after them, but Sterns and his Sagittarimon blocked their path. "Get out of my way!" Yamato ordered.

            Sterns only chuckled as he held up a small sliver of a brown-glowing crystal. "Maria…" Mimi said.

            The Chosen Council member did not respond. He jabbed the sliver into his chest and his body quickly began to glow with the same brown light. Sagittarimon was pulled into his partner and the two exploded in a mesh of brown light and energy. When the whirlwind died, there stood a lone figure, a creature comprised of a metal body with a small volcano on his back.

            Yamato narrowed his eyes. "New look, huh?"

            He chuckled. "Call me Volcamon." He swung his large fists into Weregarurumon X. The wolf brought his own hands up to block, but the force of the attack still threw him back. Megaseadramon X and Lillymon X leapt to the side, swung around and began to assault him with physical attacks. Volcamon swung his arms open, knocking the back of his fists into their noises before swinging around and grabbed Megaseadramon X by his tail. Before the serpent could protest, he began to swing him around in a tight circle. Weregarurumon X fell to the ground and Lillymon X shot into the air and Megaseadramon X passed harmlessly between them. They two digimon tried to move closer for an attack, but Volcamon continued to swing Megaseadramon X around. Every time Weregarurumon X tried to rise to his feet, every time Lillymon X tried to swoop in, Volcamon swung Megaseadramon X into their path. The large serpent tired to squirm free, but due to the force of the swing, he could not even lift his head.

            Weregarurumon X readied himself on his hands and knees, timing Volcamon's swinging of Megaseadramon X. He sprang up, missing the swing of the serpent, executing a perfect back flip before positioning his hand to execute his Kaiser Nail attack. However, the small volcano on Volcamon's back erupted, sending a blast of heat into his face, throwing him back onto the ground. Lillymon X came in to help, but he released Megaseadramon X at that moment, smacking him into the flower woman, tangling them into a pile on the floor.

            Volcamon chuckled and flexed his muscles as he stared at Weregarurumon X. "Take this, Big Bang Tackle!" He shot forward, throwing the wolf to the ground. The mutant digimon began to pound his face with his massive fists.

            "Weregarurumon!" Yamato shouted.

            "Megaseadramon!" Michael called to his own partner, "Help him!"

            "You too!" Mimi ordered to her partner.

            Lillymon X charged forward placing her hands together to form her Flower Cannon attack. Volcamon stopped his assault on Weregarurumon X and braced himself for Lillymon X's attack. However, she darted out of the way at the last second, and Volcamon followed her. He did not see Megaseadramon X snake up out of the ground and slam his horn into his side.

            Volcamon stumbled backwards as Megaseadramon X whipped his tail around, striking the mutant digimon in the side once more. Volcamon made a grab for the serpent's tail, but Lillymon X executed her Flower Cannon at that moment, striking the mutant digimon's hand at full force.

            He roared in pain, and stumbled back. Megaseadramon X and Lillymon X leapt in to continue their attack. The serpent flicked and whipped his tail, striking and bashing Volcamon's head while Lillymon X executed a series of kicks and punches, only a few at a time, before fleeing higher into the air. Volcamon braced himself during the assault before finally swinging his arms, punching the flower child directly in the face.

            "Ahh!" Mimi shrieked.

            "You bastard!" Megaseadramon X screamed. His horn began to grow in size and sharpness. "King Javelin!" He shot at Volcamon at full force, using his horn to slice the mutant digimon in half right above his waist. Volcamon flinched for a moment before the upper half of his body slid away from the lower half, his data scattering to the wind.

            "Nice job," Weregarurumon X said, rising to his feet.

            "Thanks," the serpent panted.

            "What are you two doing?!" Lillymon X asked as she and the humans ran to the exit doorway, "Come on, we can still catch them!"

            They grumbled and quickly dove through the doorway and into a hall with another set of step stairs. These seemed to go on forever but eventually the stairs ended and the group stepped onto flat ground. A quick examination of their surroundings and they concluded that they had stepped onto a long, flat ledge near the pointed summit of the building. Cahiti, Schmidt and their prisoners were not anywhere in sight.

            "Damn it!" Yamato swore.

            "Now, now, there's no need for that kinda language…"

            The blond man growled as he turned his head to the sky. Standing on the pointed top was the Demon Hunter Karetu and his demonic partner, Beelzebumon. "Where did they go?"

            "Who?"

            "You know damn well who! Where did they take Sora and Catherine?"

            "Tell ya what," Karetu chuckled, "If ya beat us, then we'll tell ya."

            "Fine!" Yamato snapped, "I've been waiting to kick your ass since you started using my brother's face!"

            "Gung ho aren't we?" the Demon Hunter laughed, "Well, guess what? All those other times, we were ordered _not_ ta kill ya, but now…"

            "We're not scared!" Weregarurumon X shouted, "Come on!"

            "Your funeral," Beelzebumon chuckled. He turned to his human partner. They both nodded, and Karetu held up his hand to reveal another brown-glowing crystal. Like the others, he jabbed it into his chest, causing his body to glow with brown light. This light pulled Beelzebumon into his partner, causing an explosion of brown light. When it faded, a new figure stood in place of two, with the appearance of Karetu, except with Beelzebumon's long claws, his leather jacket, and his twin shotguns. Karetu/Beelzebumon whipped his weapons out of their holsters and held them into the air. "Let's rumble!"

            He jumped off of the building's roof, pointed his guns at the X-Chosen and began to fire. A steady stream of bullets erupted from the weapons, striking Lillymon X in the chest. She was thrown back from the impact, but Karetu/Beelzebumon continued to fire. Megaseadramon X shot up from behind, his horn ready for his King Javelin attack, but the Demon Lord, continuing to assault Lillymon X with the shotgun in his left hand, he twisted his upper body around so he could fire at the serpent with the shotgun in his right hand. Weregarurumon X ran up to assault him, but the Demon Lord quickly twisted his hands around so he could fire both shotguns at the wolf, striking him dead center.

            The three X-digimon charged at the Demon Lord, who only grinned. He waited until they were close enough before jumping to the right, firing another round at Weregarurumon X. He jumped into the air, executing a perfect back-flip while continuing to lay a stream of bullets into Lillymon X and Megaseadramon X. He landed gracefully on the ground.

            "You fucking bastard!" Weregarurumon X shouted. He charged at him, his fists clenched together tightly. Karetu/Beelzebumon spun around, his shotguns pointed directly at the wolf.

            "Try this on!," he shouted, "Double Impact!"

            He fired two bullets from his shotgun that twisted and spun as they shot through the air, impacting the wolf with enough force to send him tumbling backwards. Karetu/Beelzebumon threw his shotguns into the air, then held up his long claws which began to glow with red energy. The Demon Lord shot forward, slashing across the wolf's chest. Karetu/Beelzebumon then caught his falling shotguns and fired another Double Impact attack into Weregarurumon X's back. The wolf stumbled forward and fell onto his face.

            "Weregarurumon!" Yamato shouted.

            "Help him!" Mimi shouted.

            Lillymon X placed her hands together to create her Flower Cannon, but Karetu/Beelzebumon quickly leapt out of the way and fired another round into the flower woman. She winced in pain, but managed to fire her Flower Cannon, which struck the Demon Lord directly in the face.

            He growled, but still managed to jump into the air and fired another barrage of bullets into the in-coming Megaseadramon X. He then turned his attention back to Lillymon X. The flower woman braced herself. "Well, come on!" she shouted, "I'm not running!"

            Karetu/Beelzebumon grinned. "Good. Double Impact!"

            His spinning bullets smashed into her stomach, causing her to lurch over. The Demon Lord threw his shotguns into the air and charged forward with his claws ready. "Crimson Claw!" He slashed across Lillymon X's stomach, then grabbed his falling shotguns and fired another Double Impact into her back. She stumbled forward, her dress in tatters. She tried to stay on her feet, but she fell into the ground.

            The Demon laughed as he turned to face Megaseadramon X. "Ya the only one left. Wanna just surrender before I make ya suffer like yar friends?"

            Megaseadramon X panted heavily as he struggled to remain conscious. "I'm not going to give up…"

            "Glad ta hear it," he chuckled, "Now prepare ta die!" He fired another Double Impact, striking the serpent in the chin. The demon once again threw his shotguns into the air and executed his Crimson Claw, slashing across the serpent's body. He turned his head skyward and waited for his shotguns to fall into his hands, but gasped out loud when he was Weregarurumon X and Lillymon X each grab one before they could fall into the Demon Lord's hands.

            He glanced to the right and saw Lillymon X pointing a shotgun at him, while Weregarurumon X was aiming one of the guns on the left. He grinned. "Clever."

            Both X-digimon fired, striking Karetu/Beelzebumon on both sides of the head. The demon was clearly injured, as he stumbled for a moment before falling onto his back. Weregarurumon X ran over and pointed the shotgun at the demon's face.

            "All right," he said, "Where are Sora and Catherine?"

            Karetu/Beelzebumon chuckled. "Sure, ya beat me, what the hell do I care? Miss Takenouchi and Miss Rupert are on the Center Island."

            "Center Island?" Lillymon X asked.

            "That's right," Karetu/Beelzebumon replied, "Seiduka is leading an army to take the Center Island from the Digitalatri. And once Lord Cahiti had control of that island, he's gonna use the power from the Daughters of the First and destroy this world!"

            "What?" Weregarurumon X demanded.

            Karetu/Beelzebumon laughed. "Ya all doomed! Dead…dead!"

            Weregarurumon X growled and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced Karetu/Beelzebumon's head, silencing him. His data exploded, scattering through the air.

            The three X-Chosen turned to each other. "Destroy this world?" Michael asked.

            "Shit," Yamato said, "We've got to get to the Center Island right away."

            "Wait," Mimi said, "If…if the Demon Lords and Digitalatri are fighting, then we're gonna be a little outnumbered, right?"

            The blond man frowned. "I think we're gonna have to bring in some help." He reached for his cell phone, "I'm calling Taichi, then I'm calling Noriko." He put the phone to his ear and looked out over the barren desert.

            "Hang on guys," he said, "We're on our way."

To be continue


	18. The Book of Death: Chapter 2

            Ola_. My name is Iduia Ramiro, I am a Chosen from Brazil. I was born to a middle-class family, and while we did have our problems growing up, we were fairly well off. My father was a politician, not a very successful one. My mother used to say that he never had the 'killer instinct.' That always used to scare me, why would someone who is suppose to hold the people's best interest in mind? My father used to just smile and not answer._

_            I guess that must have meant that he didn't really have the leadership skills necessary to really lead a country. Of course, I wasn't much of a leader either, that's why the Brazil Team fell apart. I tried my best, but I just couldn't hold them together, we were far too different. We parted ways after being together for only two years. But, that's when things got really bad. I had been feeling sick for a few weeks, but when I woke up one morning and found that I could hardly breath. I was rushed to the emergency room, and to my horror, I found that my lungs had deteriorated to almost nothing in only a few short weeks. I would need pure oxygen to survive, and to get that oxygen, I needed a tank to be strapped to my back and a mask on my face. After that, my kidneys failed, and my heart a few days later. I was finally diagnosed with BD-2 after my physician realized that I was a Chosen. Under the advice of other Chosen, I, along with my Kokuwamon partner, moved to the Digital World._

_            We settled in a town called New Havenwood, and I opened up a small booth in the market where I sold hand-made jewelry. I always had a special skill with fine metal, which I guess made more sense after I discovered that I held the mysterious power over Metal. _

_            Sora and Catherine hold the power over Fire and Light, but didn't give up that power to the X-Chosen, so the Demon Lords captured them. Through a series of manipulations, the Demon Lords used the X-Chosen to force Sora and Catherine to give up their powers. Taichi, Jyou and Hikari fought and defeated Enk and Belphemon while Yamato, Mimi and Michael found the Demon Lords' base and fought Karetu and Belzeebumon, but the damage has already been done.  Cahiti now holds all our powers, and the end of the Digital World will soon begin…_

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Death:_

_Chapter 2_

--

            The four main continents of the Digital World were arranged in such a way that created a small circular sea on one side of the planet. The sea, the Sea of the Center, had resting within it an island called the Center Island. It was the legendary home of the First Chosen. When these mighty and powerful heroes first arrived, they created an empire to serve and guide the digimon against their enemies, the cruel and greedy empire of Cer, ruled over by the Emperor Murmixmon. That evil emperor won, and the First Chosen were forced to return to Earth. Since that time, the Center Island has been abandoned, that is until the Digitalatri, the self-proclaimed, heirs of the First Chosen took that island for themselves. They believed that it would serve as a sanctuary for them, but darkness was soon descending upon them…

            A young man with a Kunemon for a partner were on patrol that evening, standing before the main gate, a fully fifty miles to the castle itself. Stretching before him was another twenty miles to the coast line. While staring at the roaring waters, he noticed a strange dark mass approaching them through the sky.

            "Looks like a storm," the Kunemon said.

            The human stared for a moment before shaking his head. "That's no storm! Give me the binoculars, quick!"

            Kunemon used a web of silk stream to throw him the seeing devices. He placed them to his eyes and focused on the shadow in the distance. He was no able to clearly see an army comprised of demonic digimon, as well as Chosen, no doubt from the Chosen Council. Leading this army were figures he recognized from the new reports, Seiduka of the Demon Lords, as well as Madelyne Osborn of the Chosen Council. They were both riding Airdramons, which were decorated with dark ornaments. The young man dropped the binoculars and grabbed a large megaphone that was lying on the ground. He pointed the speaker at the First Chosen Castle and screamed into the transmitter. "We're under attack! Red alert! Red alert!"

111

            Chihi Miayag sat on her bed, staring blankly at a small photograph, the only picture she had left of her mother. "I cannot believe how I did not see this before, my mother and Taichi and Hikari's mother are so similar in appearance." She held up a small hand mirror and glanced at her reflection. "I cannot believe that I did not see how similar _I_ look to Taichi and Hikari. We are related, we all share the blood of Yuushi." She frowned, "But those…those two heathens, have turned from their true destiny! The Blood of Yuushi has failed with them, but it will not with me!"

            Her door flung open and Takashi appeared. Miayag glared at him. "How dare you enter my chambers!"

 "I'm sorry, my lady," he bowed, "But we're under attack!"

            Her anger melted into shock. "W…what? Who?"

            "We believe it's the Chosen Council and the Demon Lords…"

            "Demon Lords?" she asked, "What would they want here?"

            "I don't know," he said, "But Hiroshi and Keiko are already leading a defensive assault."

            She nodded and jumped to her feet. Takashi shook his head. "Hiroshi doesn't want you to…"

            She glared at him. "I am not going to stand by and allow them to take this island, or harm my congregation!"

111

            Outside, Hiroshi, Piedmon, Keiko and Pinocchimon were standing at the front of the Digitalatri army, staring down Seiduka and Osborn. They were positioned behind the outer gate, staring at the invaders through the barred gate. Keiko bowed. "My name is Keiko, this is Hiroshi, the General of the Digitalatri Army. The Second Black Death took away his ability to speak, so we will speak for him."

            Seiduka chuckled. "Yeah, whatever."

            Osborn sighed and rolled her eyes. "I am Madelyne Osborn, Secretary of the Chosen Council. The one in blue is Seiduka and the one in red is Asro."

"What are you doing here?" Piedmon demanded.

            Asro stepped forward. "We're here to take this island from you."

"Wait," Osborn said, "Surrender now, and you won't be hurt…"

            "I beg to differ," Seiduka chuckled.

            Hiroshi shook his head. Piedmon crossed his arms and nodded. "We will never surrender."

            Osborn sighed. "I'm givin' ya one last chance…"

            "Forget it!" Pinocchimon shouted.

            Osborn shrugged. "Well, I gave ya' a chance."

Seiduka raised his arm, then pointed it forward. "Attack!"

            Before the Digitalatri could prepare, the combined force of the Demon Lords' army and the Chosen Council army slammed into the outer gate, causing it to crumble into dust. A mighty and cataclysmic battle erupted: Devimons fought Sabidramons, Devidramons ripped and tore into Dokugumons, Golemons lifted large rocks and flung them at hovering Flymons and Yanmamons, Meramons, shot balls of fire at Evilmons; almost instantly, the island became covered with dying and dead bodies as the massacre began.

            Hiroshi ducked and darted to avoid falling bodies and deflected energy attacks while his partner blasted and bashed his way through the Demons and Chosen Council warriors. As the duo made their way across the battlefield, they approached a small clearing the carnage. Waiting for them, standing with his blue cape blowing behind him, was Seiduka.

            The Demon General chuckled as his Demon partner appeared behind him. "Hiroshi Shibya…"

            The young man frowned, and Piedmon stood protectively in front of him. "And you're Seiduka. We don't understand, why did you come here?"

            "Our King, Cahiti, wants this island, and that's good enough for us," he laughed, "Of course, I'd be just as happy without a reason."

            "You're a monster," Piedmon responded.

            "We're just passionate about our causes, same as you."

            Hiroshi clenched his fists tightly. "We are nothing like you," Piedmon responded.

            Seiduka just shrugged. "Yeah, you keep believing that." He chuckled. "You know, since you won't be living past this moment…" He pulled off his blue hood, revealing his face. Piedmon and Hiroshi both gasped in shock.

            "D…daisuke?" Piedmon asked.

            "Sorry no," he laughed, "Demon, go!"

            Piedmon blinked. "Demon?" he asked. Before he could look to the air, he only caught a glimpse of a hairy, monkey-like creature before a sharp fist punched him in the side of the face. His head smashed into the ground from the brunt of the surprise attack. Hiroshi gasped, but was relieved when his partner leapt back to his feet. He wiped his injured jaw and stared at the grinning Demon. "That wasn't fair."

            Demon crossed his arms. "Just because you're not paying attention in battle doesn't mean that I should wait."

            Piedmon whipped out his swords and held them tightly in his hands. "Well, now I'm ready. Let's go!"

            Demon roared with excitement and pleasure. Lines of flames shot from his fingers. "Flame Inferno!"

            Piedmon blocked the streams with his swords, then continued forward. Demon charged, fists ready. The clown digimon placed his swords back into their holders and ready for a fist battle, but at the last moment, Demon placed his hands together and fired a large beam of fire. "Chaos Flare!"

            "Ahh!" Piedmon gasped, twisting out of the way at the last moment. However, this left him open for Demon's rock-hard fist slamming into his stomach. The clown lurched forward, but quickly grabbed his swords and stabbed them into the demon's arms.

            Demon pulled his fist back, but Piedmon continued his assault. He opened his fists and sends waves of pure sound through the air. "Final Spell!"

            Demon countered with another Chaos Flare, smashing into the sound waves, absorbing and dismissing them. The flames continued on their path to Piedmon, but the clown rolled out of the way, throwing his swords at the demonic creature. "Trump Sword!"

            The demon dodged the first two, but the second two pierced his chest and hung there. He only laughed and charged forward, executing an uppercut that sent the clown flying into the air.

            "Yes!" Seiduka laughed, "Yes, kill them! Kill them all!"

            Despite the roar of battle and the visions of death and destruction, Keiko was able to see the beginning of the battle between Demon and Piedmon. "Pinocchimon!" she shouted to her partner, "We need to help Hiroshi and Piedmon!"

            The puppet digimon finished whacking an Evilmon with his hammer, then nodded at her. They began to run through the battlefield, but stopped when a red-caped figure appeared before them. Keiko narrowed her eyes. "You're the one called Asro, aren't you?"

            She chuckled and gave a slight bow. "That is correct, I am Asro, the Demon Queen." She mentioned to the woman with the pale complexion standing behind her, "And this is my partner, Lilithmon."

            "Queen?" Keiko asked, "Queen of the Demons?"

            "Of course."

            The Digitalatri soldier frowned. "Why don't you take that hood off and stop hiding?"

            Asro chuckled. "Sure, if that is what you want." She removed her cowl, allowing her long red hair to flow around her shoulders and revealing her face in the setting sun. Keiko and Pinocchimon both stared with wide and unbelieving eyes. "S…S…Sora?" the young woman gasped.

            Asro smirked. "You wish, now!"

Lilithmon catapulted from the ground, swinging her left arm into Pinocchimon's face, forcing him to slide back. He swung his giant mallet around to smack the demon woman in the side of the head, but she swung her left arm back around, blocking the weapon with surprising ease. She grinned wickedly at the wooden digimon. "Let me know when you're ready to get serious."

            "Don't let her psyche you out!" Keiko cheered, "Go, you can take her."

            "Hardly," Asro chuckled, "We will destroy you all."

            Pinocchimon held his hammer tightly and swung again. Lilithmon leapt into the air before slamming both of her feet into the wooden digimon, forcing him to fall onto his rear. She landed on her right foot and was about to twist around to kick him with her left foot, but he jumped back to his feet and swung his hammer around, whacking the demon woman in the side of the head. She tumbled to the ground.

            "Yes!" Keiko cheered, "Yes!"

            Lilithmon slowly rose to her feet, her left hand clenched into a fist. "Great," Pinocchimon muttered, "I think I got her angry…

            "Angry?" the demon woman asked, "I'm pissed!" She charged forward, her purple cloak billowing around her.

111

            Within the confusion and chaos of the battle, a group of figures quietly and cautiously made their way through the carnage. They were Cahiti, Schmidt, along with their partners, Lucemon and Gaomon. Trailing behind them was Sora, Catherine and their partners: Piyomon and Floramon. Their hands were tied tightly in front of them, joined together by a long metal chain that was held tightly in Cahiti's hands. The females were horrified at the war exploding around them.

            "Not another one," Sora sighed, "It's just like Nightsun…"

            _"Oui_," Catherine answered, "_Oui…_"

            Cahiti grinned as he stared up at the castle towering before him. "The castle of the First Chosen. Here…this is the only area in the entire Digital World where we will be safe from the Digital Hazard…."

            Schmidt's eyes focused on the castle gates. "It appears that we have company."

            "Yes," the Demon King answered, "I can see that." He handed the leash holding Sora, Catherine and their partners to Schmidt, and stepped forward to address the young woman and her Witchmon partner. "Ah, you are Chihi Miayag, I presume?"

            The Digitalatri Priestess nodded slightly. "And you are Cahiti, Demon King, and you are the leader of the Chosen Council, Victor von Schmidt, ri…." She trailed off when she saw the imprisoned females. "Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert?" Her eyes narrowed at her enemies. "Release them at once!"

            Cahiti roared with laughter. "I'm afraid that will not be possible. They are instrumental in our continued manipulation of the X-Chosen."

            "What are you talking about?" Witchmon asked.

            "I do not care," Miayag responded, "If you will not release them and vacate this island, then I will force you to leave!" She held up her digivice, which transformed into the Staff of Yuushi. She held the weapon firmly in her hands and Witchmon evolved to her highest form, the Mega Kuzuhamon.

 "I will give you one last opportunity to leave," the fox woman said.

            Schmidt reached for his digivice, but Cahiti held his arm in front of him. "No, we will handle this." He mentioned to Sora and Catherine, "Make certain they do not escape."

            Schmidt nodded. Cahiti stepped forward while Lucemon hovered beside him. Miayag and Kuzuhamon held their ground. The Digitalatri Priestess glared at the Demon King. "Will you hide beneath that cowl for the duration of this fight, or shall you show us your face while you battle?"

            Cahiti chuckled. "As you wish." He reached up and removed the orange hood, revealing his face. Miayag and Kuzuhamon were in shock. The priestess hardly able to speak

            "T…T…Taichi?" she gasped, "Taichi, What are you doing? Why would you lead an army of demons against…" Her shocked expression slowly turned to one of anger. "You are not Taichi. He would never have done the things that you have done.  You have stolen his face and attempted to use his identity to further your own selfish goals, have you not? How dare you take his face. How dare you!"

            As surprised as Sora and Catherine were at Miayag's declaration of saving them, they were even more surprised at the display of anger from the priestess over Cahiti's similarities to Taichi. "Sora," Piyomon whispered, "Why is she so angry?"

            The redhead shook her head. "I…I have no idea…"

            Lucemon stared at Kuzuhamon. "I thought we were going to battle?"

            The fox woman held her staff tightly, staring down the Child digimon. She wondered why he had not yet evolved. Was he not able to, or was his power so great, that even as a Child, he could still handle a Mega? She was afraid to discover that answer, but knew that she had no choice. She gripped his staff and charged forward. She lifted her staff to strike his head, but he quickly put his hands together and fired an attack that resembled ten planets arranged in a cross shape. Kuzuhamon quickly flung up her staff. The attack did strike her weapon, but still contained enough force to throw her back.

            The angel chuckled as he hovered in the air. "That is called my Grand Cross," he explained, "And here is my second attack, Divine Feat!" He shot into the air only to come sailing down at super sonic speed, kicking the fox woman with all of his might. This time, however, she whipped her staff around and Lucemon's attack struck the weapon instead. There was enough force in the angel's attack to cause the staff to bend, but Kuzuhamon's strength proved to be superior as Lucemon screamed in pain, no doubt having his foot broken.

            Catherine and Sora grinned at one another, pleased to see their captors being injured. Miayag was pleased as well. "Well," she said, "Perhaps the great Demon King is not as powerful as he claims to be?"

            Cahiti grinned. "You have no idea." He held up a digivice, which, like all the Demon Lords, was pitch black in color. "Lucemon, evolve!"

            The angel digimon grinned as his body began to glow. "Lucemon, evolve to Lucemon Falldown Mode!"

            The small, cute digimon had transformed into a taller, more mature creature, with a set of black demonic bat wings on his left which white angelic bird wings on his right. While Kuzuhamon and Miayag were amused by his appearance, they were not frightened in the least.

            "You still only evolved once," the fox woman pointed out.

            "Don't let that fool you," Lucemon replied, "I'm much stronger now. Observe. Paradise Lost!"

            He shot forward with a burst of speed. He slammed his fists in Kuzuhamon's armor with incredible speed and force. He then twisted around, kicking her with enough force to send her tumbling into the air. He shot above her in the sky, and grabbed her ankles, placing both of his feet firmly into her armpits. He then shot down with all of his might, smashing her head first into the ground. He leapt off of her back landed peacefully on the ground.

            Kuzuhamon crawled from the crater her fall to the ground had caused. Lucemon may have only been a Fully Evolved digimon, but his attack was enough to crack even the armor of the Mega Kuzuhamon.

            The dark angel laughed. "Why don't you give up?"

            "Never," Kuzuhamon replied, "I will never give up. I will fight to the end, to defeat you, to save this island, to free Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert, but most of all, I will keep fighting…because my partner asks it of me!" She roared as she charged forward, holding her staff tightly, "For Chihi Miayag, I will fight to the death!"

111

            The battle dragged on for what seemed like hours; each side fighting as hard as they could, each warrior giving it their all for the sake of their cause. Neither side would admit defeat, nor would they accept it. They would have total victory, or total defeat.

            Piedmon gripped his swords tightly as Demon stood before him. The clown charged forward, but the demon countered with a flame geyser from the palms of his hand. "Chaos Flare!"

            Piedmon quickly placed his swords in an x formation, effectively shielding his body from the flame attack. However, Demon shot around and struck the clown's neck with a quick shot from the side of his hand. The clown fell to his knees. The demon was about to attack again, but the clown spun his leg into Demon's causing him to fall to his face. The clown kicked him in the side and jumped to his feet. He grabbed the swords on his back and flung them forward. "Trump Sword!"

            Demon jumped back to his feet. "Chaos Flare!" This time, Demon's geyser of fire struck the clown in the face and threw him onto his back. Demon charged over and grabbed the clown by the leg and slammed him into the ground. Piedmon jumped to his feet, but the demon would not allow him to recover. He began to punch and jab him mercilessly, throwing him lift and right. Hiroshi tried to protest, but Seiduka was roaring with glee.

            "Yes!" he screamed, "Kill him, kill him!"

            Demon grabbed the clown by the front of his shirt and began to pound him with his free hand. When Piedmon's head fell back and his eyes rolled into his head, he dropped him to the ground.

Seiduka chuckled. "Excellent work. Let's be on our way."

            Hiroshi ran to stand in front of the Demon Lord. The holder of the Crest of Wrath laughed. "Do you honestly think you can stop me?"

            Hiroshi's face was twisted into a stern growl. Seiduka shrugged, then quickly punched him as hard as he could. The Digitalatri general stumbled for a moment before collapsing at the side of his partner.

            Seiduka mentioned to Demon. "Let's go."

            Only a few feet away, Keiko was watching with anticipation as Pinocchimon battled against Lilithmon. The demon woman was fast and agile. She hovered in the air a moment before shooting down for an aerial attack. Pinocchimon waited until she was close enough, then swung his mallet around, smacking her in the side of the head. As her body twisted, he shot the mallet around in his other hand, striking her on the other side. He continued to alternate for a full minute before kicking her in the stomach and sending her backwards.

            He panted as he grinned. "There, take that!"

            Lilithmon growled. "Just for that, I'm taking off the kid gloves!" She moved her right hand out of her robes, allowing Keiko and Pinocchimon to see it clearly for the first time. At the sight of the gold, decaying arm, the young woman had to hold her mouth to keep from vomiting.

            "Just wait until you see this," Asro grinned, "Show them your powers."

            Lilithmon raised her right hand and charged forward. "Nazer Nail!"

            Pinocchimon raised his mallet to block, but once Lilithmon's hand touched his weapon, it dissolved into nothing. "Ah!" he shouted, staring at his now empty hands.

            Lilithmon smirked. "Get ready, because I won't miss this time! Nazer Nail!"

            Pinocchimon stared as the demon woman charged at him. He glanced around in desperation before seeing a Evilmon hovering in the air. He shot a group of string from his hands, connecting them to the bat digimon, before flinging him around to block the path between him and Lilithmon. The devil woman's attack touched the smaller demon, eroding him completely.

            Her attack may have been gone, but she still had the momentum necessary to continue forward. Once she was close enough, she fired a blast of dark mist that enveloped Pinocchimon, causing him to fall to the ground, writing in unseen pain. Lilithmon grinned. "Phantom Pain."

            "You bitch!" Keiko shouted, running to her partner's side. She glared at Asro, who only shrugged.

            "Come, Lilithmon," she said, "Lord Cahiti awaits."

            At the castle gates, Lucemon Falldown Mode and Kuzuhamon continued their battle. The fox woman held her staff at a ninety degree angel before spinning it around quickly in a circle. "Ura Izuna!" Four near-transparent black foxes erupted from her staff and flew to attack Lucemon.

            The fallen angel chuckled and easily darted between each fox before appearing in front of Kuzhuamon. He began to assault her with a flurry of kicks and punches before the fox woman was able to twist her staff around and bash him in the back of the head. She twisted out of the way, but the fallen angel was directly behind her. "Thinking of escaping?" he laughed, "Take this, Paradise Lost!"

            He once again executed his devastating combo attack, first bashing her with a barrage of punches, before kicking her high into the air. He shot above her, grabbing both of her ankles and placing his feet directly in her armpits. He shot to the ground with enough force to create a large crater, the brunt of which the fox woman took to her head. He leapt off of her and landed on the ground. He turned to see her lying body, but was shocked to see her standing on her feet, albeit wobbly and off-centered.

            Lucemon chuckled. "I have an idea, let's play a game. It's called Dead or Alive." He held out his arms, and a ball of light appeared in his right angelic palm with a ball of darkness appeared in his left demonic palm. "Let's see which one happens to you!" He flung the ball of light at Kuzuhamon, which quickly enveloped him, forcing her to remain in one perfect spot.  Lucemon then swung the ball of darkness at her. Both spheres of light and darkness exploded upon impact with enough force to shower most of the island with light and force. When the light dimmed, Plotmon was standing where Kuzuhamon had been only moments before.

            "Oh damn," Lucemon frowned, "It looks like you live." But he grinned when the Child digimon collapsed to the ground, "But I guess unconsciousness is good enough for me. Thanks for playing and good night."

            Miayag stared with horror. "You are truly monsters!"

            Lucemon glared at her and sent a blast of force smacking into her, sending her tumbling head over heels until she smashed into the side of the castle. Her body twitched for a moment before growing still.

            "Oh no!" Sora gasped, "Miayag! Miayag, wake up! Please!"

            "Silence!" Schmidt ordered. The Security General turned to Cahiti. "What now?"

             The Demon King grinned as he mentioned to the castle. "Now we go inside and claim our prize!"

            Schmidt grinned as he led the captive females through the gates of the First Chosen's Castle. They maneuvered through the halls until they arrived at a large rectangular room. It was bare except for a circle of concrete columns. "Here."

            "Here?" Schmidt asked.

            Cahiti walked to the center of the room. He raised his right arm, which contained the Soul Catcher. He held it above his head, and each one of the eight crystal began to glow."I hold the power of all eight First Chosen. With the command over Fire, Water, Light, Darkness, Wind, Earth, Forest and Metal…I activate the Digital Hazard!" He slammed the ancient device into the stone floor, and the light from the crystals flowed into the ground.

            Cahiti grinned as he lifted his arm. "This is the beginning of the end…"

111

            Almost two miles away, Taichi's group of X-Chosen was riding atop Jyou's Tylomon X, shooting through the calm sea as fast as they could. "Come on," their leader said, "Come on…"

            "Taichi," Jyou said, "We're going as fast as we can."

            He was about to respond when a loud rumbling sound suddenly erupted across the water.  Taichi blinked. "What the hell is…"

            The water suddenly erupted into tall twisting geysers, throwing the X-Chosen into the water. They struggled against the torrent, but the force of the twisting water was far too powerful. Taichi and Agumon X became lost in a whirlpool, dragged deeper and deeper until they felt something grab them and they were pulled through the surface.

            They both panted and gasped for breath. Taichi blinked for a moment before realizing that he and Agumon X were seated atop Nefertimon X, along with Hikari. "Are you okay?" she asked.

            They both nodded. "Y..yeah," Taichi panted. He looked to the water and saw that Tylomon X and Jyou were still unharmed. The water digimon was more easily able to move through the stormy water with only one passenger. That left Nefertimon X to carry the rest of the group through the storm.

            The sky had turned pitch black, and lighting crashed and bash across the darkness. Giant cyclones of wind had appeared, striking the quaking ground.  The water erupted into streams that smashed into the coastline, sending waves of debris sailing into the air before they dissolved into nothingness.

            "What the hell is going on here?"Taichi gasped.

            "The world's just falling apart!" Nefertimon X gasped.

            Agumon X frowned as he stared into the distance. "Not everywhere."

            The others looked and saw that the Center Island was perfectly free from the ultimate storm occurring around it. "Come on!" Taichi shouted over the roar of the wind, "We've got to keep moving!"

            "What about Yamato?" Jyou shouted back.

            "I don't think our cellphones are gonna work in this weather! We just have to hope that they're safe!"

111

            By the time that Taichi's group had arrived on the island, the battle had long since ended. Agumon X's early observations had proved true, despite the roaring, storm occurring outside, the island had perfect weather.

            The X-Chosen were not interested in the weather at that moment, they were more concerned with the littered bodies stretching across the field before them. Hikari placed her hand over her mouth and had to turn her head away. Taichi slowly stepped through the bodies of the fallen Digitalatri and Chosen Council members, his eyes darting to each one, until he located a group lying near the outer gate. He charged forward, leaping over bodies until he arrived at the side of a fallen young woman. "M…Miayag…"

            The Digitalatri Priestess slowly opened her eyes. "_J…Juukeitei_?" she asked.

            Taichi winced and quickly looked over his shoulder. He had been hoping that Hikari had not heard, but his younger sister came running to his side. "Cousin?" she asked, "W…why did she call you that?"

            Miayag stared at Taichi. "You mean…you have not yet told her?"

            Hikari narrowed her eyes. "Not told me what?"

            Taichi moved his hands in an effort to silence her, but the Digitalatri Priestess continued to speak. "Hikari, your mother is the older sister of my mother."

            The young woman gasped and turned to face Taichi. "What?"

            Her older brother sighed deeply. "Yeah…her mother is Aunt Kumiko…."

            Hikari's eyes bulged out. She stared at Taichi, then at Miayag, then back at her brother. "You knew this? How long did you know? How…how did you know?"

            Taichi hesitated, and Hikari's eyes opened even more. "Mom told you, didn't she? W…when she woke up from her coma!" Her older brother did not respond, and she knew that her assumption was correct.

            "H…how could you keep that from me?" she asked.

            "Hikari…" he began, but she turned from him and knelt beside Miayag. She helped the younger woman to a sitting position.

            "You're really my cousin?"

            The Priestess nodded. "Yes, we are all descended from the heroic Yuushi, the leader of the First Chosen. He was my grandfather, which means he is your grandfather as well."

            Hikari nodded. "Okay, then…my mother's…_our_ mother's father was Yuushi?"

            Miayag nodded. "Yes, that is correct." She struggled to rise to her feet, but Hikari told her to remain seated.

            "What happened?" Taichi asked.

            "The Demon Lords," she responded, "Along with the Chosen Council. They took this island from us…" She stared Taichi directly in the eyes. "They have your missing members as well."

            "Sora?" he asked. She nodded.

            The young man mentioned with his hand. "All right, let's go."

            "What about you?" Hikari asked Miayag.

            "I…I will be okay in time," she said, "You must go, you are the only ones that can stop the Demon Lords now." She turned to Taichi once more, "But our relationship changes nothing between us. You are still unbelievers that I will punish for your insolence."

            Taichi felt a feel of regret in his heart. He did not know how to respond to this, so he simply stated, "Yeah, sure, whatever. Hikari, Jyou, let's move."

            Hikari stared at Miayag with regret in her eyes, but continued on her way. Jyou stopped before her and knelt down to hand her a small bottle from his bag. "This is special medicine, it will work for both you and your digimon partner. Just apply it to the injured areas."

            She nodded in thanks and watched as the X-Chosen charged through the outer gate.

111

            Inside of the Chosen Council, Cahiti grinned as he turned to his assembled followers. "What is it?" Asro asked.

            "Those predictable X-Chosen," he chuckled, "They have come exactly as I knew they would." He turned to Schmidt and Osborn. "Keep them outside the castle, but should they find their way inside…." He turned to Seiduka and Asro, "You will deal with them."

            Sora and Catherine were with them, their hands still tied tightly. Sora looked to the ground. "Taichi…"

111

            Outside, Taichi stood on Metalgreymon X's shoulders and stared at the castle before him. Chosen Council soldiers were positioned on the top rafters, ready to defend their new acquisition. "All right, buddy," he said, "You know what to do."

            "What's that?" the dinosaur asked with a slight chuckle.

            "Get me inside!" he shouted.

            The giant dinosaur roared and stomped forward. More then a dozen Revolmon and their Chosen Council partners appeared from the castle's upper wall and began to fire. Metalgreymon X whipped his metal arm around and used it to block the assault of bullets. "Damn it!"

            "Hang on, we've got it!"

            The dinosaur would have turn to Nefertimon X had he been able to. The angel digimon had Hikari on her back and they hovered above the Revolmon and fired streams of her Rosetta Stone at the attacking digimon.

            "Thanks, Hikari!"  Taichi shouted.

            Nefertimon X flew dangerously close to him before flying back into the air. Taichi frowned. "She's really mad."

            "Of course," Metalgreymon X answered, "I told you she would be."

            "Just go!"

            Taichi swung his head around in an effort to locate the others. Hikari and Nefertimon X were hovering over top, while Jyou and Anomalocarimon X were skittering along the ground. Before they could help him, however, a sea of Evilmons and Devidramons erupted from behind the castle walls led by Osborn and Lilamon, while Chosen Council members and their Hanumon partners leapt over the wall. These digimon were led by Schmidt and Machgaogamon.

            While the Evilmon and Devidramons began to cover the sky, Osborn hung tightly to her partner's shoulders as Lilamon zeroed in on Nefertimon X. She pointed her hands at the angel digimon and began to fire beams from all her finger tips. Hikari hung tightly to her partner, waiting for the impact.

            "Flower Cannon!"

            The younger Yagami looked up in time to see a ball of energy strike Lilamon in the chest, throwing her arms into the air and her attack striking a number of Evilmon. Hikari twisted around and saw Lillymon X and Mimi flying towards them. "Mimi!" she shouted.

            Taichi's ears perked. "Mimi?" He twisted his head and saw Michael and Megaseadramon X sail by, with Yamato and Noriko riding atop Garurumon X on the ground. "Yamato, you made it!"

            The blond man grinned. "Yup, and I brought reinforcements!" He raised his hand and Yuri, Dingo and the Daughters of the First came charging into the battlefield.

            Taichi grinned. "Oh, kick ass! Yeah!" He turned to his partner. "All right, buddy, they'll handle the others, you get us through that castle gate!"

            "You got it!" The dinosaur stepped forward, but once again another wave of Revolmon appeared and fired. The dinosaur once again swung his metal arm to shield himself.  "Damn!"

            Yuri held tightly to Kuwagamon X as he maneuvered through a sea of Devidramons. One came to attack him from behind, but Anna and Unimon appeared, firing a Holy Shot into the devil's back, deleting him.

            Before he could thank them, another Devidramon appeared. This time they were saved when Iduia and Guardromon appeared. The robotic digimon fired his Destruction Grenades, blasting the devil from the inside out.

            Down below, the Hanumon swung their bone clubs as they charged at their enemies. Black Tailmon executed her Neko Punch, pounding as many ape digimon as she could. The digimon that she failed to attack were destroyed by Lynna's Ebidramon, Keeya's Red Veggiemon or Yamato and Garurumon X. Maria was riding her Centarumon, and he used his Hunting Cannon technique to attack Evilmons in the air, as well as Hanumon on the ground.

            Jyou and Anomalocarimon X joined Michael and Seadramon X as they swam through the sea of digimon, struggling to make their way to aid Taichi and Metalgreymon X. However, as they made their way through the Hanumon and dropping Evilmon, they were stopped by Schmidt and Machgaogamon.

            "You!" Michael shouted.

            The leader of the Chosen Council only smiled and nodded. A moment later, his partner leapt over his head and slammed into the ground. Anomalocarimon X and Megaseadramon X flicked their partners from their backs and charged at the in-coming wolf. Machgaogamon dove at Megaseadramon X, punched him hard in the side of his face, then shot down his long body, grabbed the serpent by the tail and swung him into Anomalocarimon X. The crustacean was thrown back, and he and the serpent became tangled.

            Metalgreymon X, meanwhile, was still struggling against the Revolmon's assault. He was forced to move slowly, keeping his metal arm in front of him, deflecting the barrage of bullets. Taichi held on tightly, but when a Devidrmon whipped in from behind and slashed the dinosaur across his back, Taichi slid down his partner and landed on the ground. The Devidramon was about to attack again, but Dingo's Gesomon X wrapped his tentacle around the devil's foot and flung him to the ground.

            "I got ya' back mate!" Dingo shouted.

            "Thanks," Taichi shouted. He turned back to his partner. "Metalgreymon!"

            The dinosaur roared. "Get out of my way!" he screamed. He threw his arms opened, which revealed his primed Giga Destroyer missiles. He fired them, which struck the castle at full force. The bricks and mortar exploded and the entire wall collapsed, revealing the thick wooden doors that served as the entrance.

            "All right!" Taichi cheered.

            "Taichi!"

            He spun around and saw Centarumon galloping towards him. Maria was on his back. "Get on!" the young woman shouted.

            He nodded and jumped onto the centaur's back. Metalgreymon X glowed brightly and regressed to his Child form of Agumon X. He leapt into Taichi's arms.

 The bushy-haired young man twisted and saw Yamato atop Garurumon X. "Come on!" he shouted, "Yamato, let's go!"

            The blond man turned to Taichi, then to the destroyed castle walls, then back to Taichi. He nodded. "Right!"            

            Noriko held tightly as the large wolf charged through the battlefield. "Black Tailmon!" she shouted,

            The chocolate-colored digimon finished bashing a Hanumon. She leapt onto Garurumon X's back.

            Taichi twisted his head and saw that Michael and Jyou were busy with Schmidt, with Dingo and his partner rushing to their aide, so he called to the others. "Let's move! Move!"

            The Daughters of the First, along with the remainder of the X-Chosen, quickly followed Taichi and Yamato. However, as Lillymon X and Nefertimon X made their way across the battlefield, Lilamon floated up from the ground and attack the angel digimon in the underside, nearly throwing Hikari to the ground.

            "You bitch!" Mimi shouted, staring down at Osborn.

            "I'm jus' doin' my job!" she grinned, "Lilamon, finish them once and for all!"

            Yuri and Kuwagamon X quickly shot over to aide the young woman and their partners. The others stopped before the castle entrance. "Hikari?" Taichi asked.

            "Go!" she shouted, "We'll handle her! Go, Sora and Catherine need you!"

            Taichi reluctantly nodded and they continued on their path. They dove through the wooden doors and began to charge through the halls at full force. They continued on for what seemed like hours until they arrived at a circular room with three halls stretching into the distance.

            "Great," Yamato sighed, "Now what?"

            Noriko turned her to the hall on the left. "Catherine's down that way."

            Maria twisted her head to the hall on the right. "But Sora's down there."

            "How do you know that?" Yamato asked.

            "We can feel them," Noriko answered.

            The blond man turned to Taichi, but saw that he was staring down the right hall. He nodded slightly to himself and turned to look over his shoulder: Lynna, and Iduia were standing behind him, with Noriko riding atop Garurumon X with him. "All right, you three come with me!" He reached over and patted Taichi's back, "Good luck. Let's go!"

            Lynna and Iduia gave the other young women a slight smile before vanishing down the left hall. Taichi turned to look at the young women behind him: Anna, Keeya, and Maria was riding atop Centarumon with him. "All right guys, let's go."

111

            Yamato's group ran through the hall until they arrived in a large room with a tall ceiling. "Where are we?" Noriko asked.

            "Looks…like…an…arena…" Iduia commented.

            "But where's Catherine? "Yamato asked.

            The small group began to turn their heads around, searching for their missing teammate.

            "Here! Up here!"

            Their heads shot to the sky. Hanging from the ceiling via a long length of chain was Catherine and Floramon, their hands tied tightly behind their backs, those handcuffs attached to the length of chain. The French woman twisted and twitched. "Get us down from here!"

            "Just hang on," Noriko said with a slight smile.

            Catherine gave her a slight sneer. "Oh Noriko, it is so lovely to hear your wonderful sense of humor once more!"

            "Don't start," Yamato said, "Now come on, let's find a way to get her down…."

            Noriko placed a hand on the blond man's shoulder. "Wait, something's wrong…"

            "What?" he asked.

            Noriko glanced around the room. "I feel…Iduia…"

            Yamato raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the Brazilian Chosen. "Yeah…?"

            "No!" she protested, "I mean…_two_ of them…"

            "She's right!" Lynna exclaimed, "Someone's here…!"

            A wave of flame suddenly erupted in the center of the room, forcing the Chosen to shield their eyes. When they lowered their arms, they saw two figures standing before them, one a human in a blue cloak, the other a demonic creature covered with black fur.

            "Seiduka!" Yamato exclaimed.

            The Demon General bowed deeply. "Greetings."

            "You bastard!" Lynna shouted, "Let them go!"

            He ignored her and continued speaking. "The heirs of the First Chosen…It's a shame that you can't measure up."

            "What…did…you…do…to…the…Digital…World?" Iduia demanded.

            Seiduka raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean the maelstrom that's occuring right outside this island? Sorry, I didn't have anything to do with that. You'll have to bring that up with Lord Cahiti."

            "We'll do that," Yamato said, "Once we get Catherine."

            Seiduka laughed. "You'll have to get by us first!" He pulled a gray-glowing crystal from within his cloak and jabbed himself in the chest. It flowed into his body, sending waves of silver color across his entire body. A whirlwind of gray energy exploded around him, the vortex pulling in Demon. The energy exploded, revealing the combined Demon and Seiduka. The fused being resembled the Demon General, only with gigantic, hulking muscles and long arms.

            He flexed his massive biceps and roared. He charged forward, swinging his hulking fists forward. Garurumon X arched his back quickly, flinging Noriko and Yamato into the ground. The wolf jumped into the air, evolving to his Fully Evolved level of Weregarurumon X. He swung his fists into Seiduka/Demon's fists, and the two engaged one another in a power struggle for a full minute before the fused being was able to overpower the wolf, throwing him to the ground.

            Guardromon fired a barrage of missiles from his forearms. "Destruction Grenade!"

            Seiduka/Demon batted the attack aside with ease. Black Tailmon galloped forward and leapt at the last second, executing a series of back flips before arriving at the fused being's head. She performed her Neko Punch, slamming his face with her curled paws. The demon only chuckled as he whacked her in the back with the side of his hand.

            Lynna's Ebidramon raised his claws, which suddenly doubled in size. "Twin Neptune!" He slammed the claws in the demon's back, but to his horror, it caused no damage.

            Seiduka/Demon spun around, knocking his fists into the shrimp. Once Ebidramon was off-balance, the demon began to assault him mercilessly. Pounding and bashing at him again and again.

            Guardromon fired beams of red light from his eyes. "Warning Laser!"

            The attack struck Seiduka/Demon in the back, lurching him forward. Ebidramon skittered out of the way, and the fused demon spun to assault Guardromon, but instead of the machine digimon, he found Weregarurumon X waiting for him. The wolf pulled his fists back and threw them forward, unleashing a wave of energy. "Kaiser Nail!"

            Seiduka.Demon raised their hands to block the attack, but once the energy struck their limbs, they skidded back slightly and a grimace of pain appeared on his face.

            "Yamato!" Noriko gasped, "I...I think that might have hurt him!"

            "I think she's right," Weregarurumon X added.

            "Quick!" Yamato ordered, "Attack him together!"

            Guardromon raised his arms and fired his Destruction Grenade at the grinning demon. Black Tailmon leapt into the air, executing her Neko Punch attack on the back of the missiles, adding even more momentum. Weregarurumon X fired his Kaizer Nail attack, enveloping the projectiles. The combined attack continued on a straight path to Seiduka/Demon.

            Noriko grinned. "I think I'm going to enjoy this…"

            The fused demon laughed. He held out his palms and a wave of fire erupted. "Flame Inferno!" His attack struck the combined attack, and the two battled for control until Seiduka/Demon's attack won. Both attacks were sent flying backwards. Guardromon and Black Tailmon were saved when Weregarurumon X leapt in front of them, taking the full force of the attack.

            "Weregarurumon!" Yamato shouted, watching his partner fall to his knees, "Come on, tell me you're okay!"

            The demon began to roar with laughter again. He pointed his fists forward. "Flame Inferno!" The wave of fire struck Black Tailmon, sending her tumbling backwards. Another attack hit Guardromon, while another impacted against Ebidramon. The Chosen stared in horror at their fallen digimon.

            "No!" Iduia shouted, "Get….get up!"

            "Come on, Ebidramon, ya' got ta do it!" Lynna exclaimed.

            "It's no use!" Seiduka/Demon shouted, his laughter filling the entire room, "I win, I win! You can't stop me, you never could! I'm the greatest, I'm the strongest! I'll tear you all apart, I'll kill you all, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

            "This guy's off his rocker," Noriko muttered.

            Up above them, Catherine struggled against her binds. "No, Yamato! No!" A bright light began to shine from within her body, a bright, white light that illuminated the room. Seiduka/Demon grinned as he twisted his head to stare at her.

"What are you trying to do now?" he asked, "That's not going to work. I will kill you as soon as I'm finished with Ishida and the others."

            Yamato growled, but noticed that there was a light coming from below him as well. He glanced down and saw that the Airguns of Lucien were shinning brightly, the same light as Catherine.

            "No!" he shouted, "We still have a chance! Everyone, we have to attack him together!"

            "Are…you…sure…?" Iduia asked.

            The blond man nodded. "Yes, Weregarurumon…?"

            His partner grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I gotta."

            Seiduka/Demon laughed again. "Plan all you want, you'll never defeat me!"

            Yamato gripped the Aiguns tightly. "Now!"

            Weregarurumon X charged forward, firing his Kaizer Nail attack. The fused demon countered by executing his Flame Inferno. While he attempted to over power the wolf's beam, Black Tailmon slunk around beneath his feet. She leapt up to his chest level and executed a series of Neko Punches. Seiduka/Demon growled and glanced down. He did not notice Ebidramon skittered around until the large shrimp swung his enlarged claw around, executing his Twin Neptune technique on his already sore chest. Yet, he still did not show any signs of injury.

            "You're up, Guardromon!" Weregarurumon X shouted. The mechanical digimon dropped down in front of the wolf, allowing Yamato to sneak onto his partner's back.

            Guardromon fired his Destruction Barrage attack again. Seiduka/Demon batted the first set of missiles aside, but the second set struck his sore chest. This time he frown, but quickly changed it to an amused laugh.

            "Is that the best you can do?" he laughed.

            "Hardly!" Weregarurumon X shouted. He ran forward, throwing his hands into preparation for his Kaizer Nail attack. Seiduka/Demon fired his Flame Inferno, and the two attack techniques struck each other with a blast of force. The wolf struggled, but the demon laughed.

            "You don't understand yet, do you?" he chuckled, "You cannot defeat me! I am invincible!"

            At that moment, Yamato leapt from his partner's back to his shoulders. He pointed the Airguns of Lucien at the fused demon's face. A look of puzzlement and horror quickly appeared as Yamato pulled the trigger. A pure beam of light erupted from the barrel and shot into the demon's mouth. The beam continued until it exploded out of fused being's back. His body twitched for a moment before his arms dropped to his side. There was an explosion of data, and Seiduka/Demon was no more.

            Yamato panted heavily as he slid down his partner's back and to the floor. "Bastard…" he muttered.

            "Yamato!" Catherine shouted.

            "Oh, right. Um…" He looked over to Iduia, "Get her down."

            The Brazilian Chosen nodded and climbed onto her partner's back. Guardromon floated into the air, and, after cutting the French woman and her partner free, safely transported them back to the ground.

            Catherine charged at Yamato, hugging him tightly. "Oh Yamato…Yamato…you do not have any idea how happy I am to zee you! Oh, Yamato…!"

            The blond man's face twitched in uncertainty of how to handle the woman's sudden show of affection. He saw out of the corner of his eye the strange look Noriko was giving him. He managed to push the French woman away.

            "Catherine," he said, "Look, um, we'll have to talk later, okay, but…."

            Her eyes suddenly shot open in shock. "Sora!" she exclaimed, "Sora, she is…"

            "Taichi's got her covered," he said, "But let's go see if he needs a hand."

111

            On the other side of the castle, Taichi's group had just entered a room similar to the room where Yamato's group battled Seiduka/Demon, save for a black curtain that was hanging on the rear wall. Taichi twisted his head around quickly before he spotted a fallen figure lying in the corner of the room, a figure with spiked red hair.

            "Sora!" he shouted. He leapt from Centarumon's back and ran forward. Maria's eyes moved from Taichi to the fallen Sora. She was lying on her back, with her eyes closed, she even had a black cloth of some kind lying across her body, exposing only her head. She appeared to be dead, and the Latino woman hoped with all of her might that she was not. As she stared at her, she tried to sense the energy that normally flowed from the redhead's body. She could not sense Sora's normal power, instead, she sensed…Anna?

            "Taichi!" she screamed, "Get back, that's not Sora!"

            The bushy-haired man screeched to a stop, but it was too late. He was already too close, and the false Sora leapt to her feet, throwing the cloth from her body, revealing that she had both of her feet, something the real Sora did not, having lost the left one to BD-2.

            She glared at Maria. "Damn you, you ruined my surprise."

            Taichi narrowed his eyes. "Asro."

            The Demon Queen bowed. "At your service, my lord."

            Yagami clenched his fists in anger. "Where's Sora?!"

            She grinned. "Why do you want her? Come on, I _am_ her, only better and more endowed…"

            "Fuck you!"

            Asro chuckled. "That's the idea…"

            "Shut up you whore, where's Sora!"

            The Demon of Lust sighed deeply. "Very well." She mentioned with her hand, and the black curtain rose to reveal Lilithmon standing before two figures that caused Taichi's heart to beat faster: Sora and Piyomon. They were held to the concrete wall by thick metal braces around their upper limbs and waists.

            "Sora!" Taichi shouted.

            "Taichi!" she screamed, "Taichi, go, leave! Don't worry about me! Hurry!"

            The bushy-haired young smiled slightly, but that smile faded when he turned to Asro. "Let her go now!"

            She laughed and rested her hand on her hip. "Come now, do you really think it will be that easy? If you want to save her, you'll have to defeat me first!"

            "Yeah, whatever," he said.

            Lilithmon marched over to her partner. The Demon Queen pulled a light blue colored crystal from her robes and held it before her. She grinned and jabbed herself in the chest. Waves of light blue flowed through her body. The light increased in intensity, swirling and pulsating around her. The light pulled in Lilithmon, and the two beings fused with a burst of blue light. Standing in a seductive pose was a being that resembled Asro, except with Lilithmon's robes, and her gold, decayed right arm.

            The fused demon flew into the air before shooting forward. Agumon X quickly evolved to his highest form of Metalgreymon X. He raised his metal arm and slammed into Asro/Lilithmon, knocking her into the ground.

            The demon woman leapt back into the air, her decayed arm visible and free. She charged at Metalgreymon X. "Nazar Nail!"

            Unimon flew around behind her and fired his Holy Shot, striking Asro/Lilithmon in the leg. She stopped in air and turned to face him, a grin sliding across her face. "All right, big guy, let's see how you can handle this!" She shot in front of him, punching and pounding him with her left hand. Anna held on tightly as she was thrown about.

            "Anna!" Maria shouted. She patted on her partner's back, "Help them!"

            Centarumon held up his remaining arm and fired a beam of energy into Asro/Lilithmon's back. The demon ceased her attack on the unicorn and turned to face the centaur. She dove at the ground and slammed her fist into Centarumon's face. She saw from the corner of her eye Red Veggiemon catapulting his vine arms at her. She ducked to avoid them, then grabbed one of the arms and began to spin him around in the air before releasing him into Metalgreymon X's under-chin.

            She roared with laughter, "This is too easy! Come on, let's get serious!"

            "You bitch," Metalgreymon X growled. He pointed his metal arm at the fused demon. "Trident Arm Version 9.9!" He fired the clawed front of his arm, intending to grab her, but she executed a back-flip, kicking the claw back at the dinosaur. It struck him in the center of the forehead. Keeya's Red Veggiemon appeared in front of her and raised his vines.

            "Red Thorn!" He began to assail Asro/Lilithmon with a series of punches directly in the face. The demon smirked as her face was uninjured. She grabbed one of the vines with her hand and pulled forward as hard as she could, bringing the vegetation digimon close to her gold arm.

            "Red Veggiemon!" Keeya shouted, "Watch out for that arm!"

            Asro/Lilithmon was about to strike him with her Nazar Nail, but he managed to swing his other vine up to knock her arm into the air. He squirmed out of her grip and tumbled on the floor.

            The demon was not given a chance to prepare another attack as Centarumon and Unimon fired their energy attack at the same time, striking her on both sides of her body. She stumbled for a moment before pointing her palm at the unicorn and fired a black mist that enveloped him. "Phantom Pain!"

            Unimon moaned in pain and he flittered in the air before crashing into the ground, sending Anna tumbling off of his back. The Russian woman climbed to her knees and used her hands to locate her partner in her private darkness. "Unimon, speak to me!"

            "I…I can't move!" he moaned.

            "Red Veggiemon!" Keeya shouted, "Take her down!"

            Asro/Lilithmon glanced over her shoulder as the plant digimon once again tried to assail her with his elastic vines. She grabbed his arms and swung, smashing him into the wall. "Why don't you try something different?"

            Sora and Piyomon tried their best to free themselves, but to no avail. "Oh, it's useless," the pink bird sighed.

            The redhead shook her head in frustration. "They're here to save us! We can't let them do it by themselves! We have to help them!" A bright wave of red light began to erupt from her body.

            Asro/Lilithmon glanced over her shoulder at the glowing young woman. "Oh, what are you doing now? Can't you just accept defeat?"

            Taichi stared at Sora with awe. He noticed a bright red light glowing from the Katana of Hidokoro. He held them weapon before his eyes, glanced at Sora, then back at the sword. "Metalgreymon!" he shouted, "We've got what we need to finish this!"

            "Oh really?" the demon asked, turning her head back to him, "So Takenouchi glows and you think you're going to beat me?"

            Taichi stared at her. "I don't think, I know. Centarumon, attack!"

            Maria held tightly as her partner fired his Hunting Cannon at the devil woman. She smirked as she batted the attack aside with her golden arm. Centarumon fired another blast, and she swung it aside as well. This continued until her temper got the better of her and she charged forward to execute her Nazar Nail. However, Metalgreymon X fired his Trident Arms Version 9.9. The devil woman did not have time to avoid the attack and the claw threw her to the ground, the middle point piercing through her torso and into the ground.

            "You think this will stop me?" she laughed. She raised her gold arm and was about to strike Metalgreymon X's metal claw, but Taichi shot around and held the glowing sword inches above her head. She stared at him with horror before he swung down with all of his might, separating her head from her shoulders. Her body scattered into data and vanished.

            "That bitch," he muttered, placing the sword into the sheath hanging on his waist. He suddenly remembered Sora and twisted his body around. For some mysterious reason, once Asro had been destroyed, the bonds that held the redhead and her pink bird to the wall had vanished.

            Sora had attempted to run forward, but due to her missing left foot, she fell onto the floor and had to use to wall to climb but to standing upright. Taichi ran to her side. "Sora…."

            The redhead grinned broadly. "Taichi…y…you don't have any idea how happy I am that you're…." Her emotions suddenly overtook her and she fell onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around his back.

            "Taichi!" she sobbed, tears falling from her eyes and into his chest, "Taichi…t…they told me you were dead….Taichi….I…I missed you so much! I….I thought you were dead…..!"

            The bushy-haired young man was startled. He had only rarely seen Sora cry like this. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around her back as well, pulling her into a tight embrace.  "It's okay," he said, "I'm here…"

            She pulled back and stared at his face. He slowly moved his hands to her head, gently using his thumb to wipe the dirt and tears away from her mouth. She smile slightly, and he did the same. Their heads slowly moved together, their eyes closed and their lips locked tightly.

            Maria felt a slight pang in her heart, but she ignored it and smiled broadly. Anna relied on her ability to read Maria's Earth powers to find the Latino woman. She placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulders. "Tell me," she said, "Are they…"

            Maria nodded, but when she remembered that Anna could not see that, she replied, "Yes, they are."

            Taichi and Sora continued to kiss, completely oblivious to the outside world. That is, until they heard a female voice shout out, "Yeah, way ta go, girl!"

            They pushed apart and twisted their heads to the room's entrance to see Lynna jumped and cheering in the air. The rest of Yamato's group was there, and the blond man was giving Taichi a slight smile and an equally as slight nod.

            "Sora!" Catherine exclaimed, running over to her. The French woman hugged her tightly. "We are finally free!"

            "Y..yeah," the redhead smiled, wiping away her tears, "We're finally free, but it's not over yet."

            "She's right," Yamato said, "There's one Demon Lord left, and I got a feeling he's the worst one of all."

            "Yeah," Taichi said. He turned to his partner, "What do you say?"

            The dinosaur growled. "Let's kick some ass!"

111

            They ran back through the halls until they arrived at the perpendicular hall once again. Maria glanced down the hall containing the decending staircase which led to the main entrance. "I hope Hikari and the others are okay…"

            "They'll be fine," Taichi said, turning to the ascending staircase, "We've got our own problems to deal with."

            They slowly made their way up the staircase before arriving at a set of thick marble doors. Taichi and Yamato nodded at each other and the two males pushed the doors open, revealing a large, cathedral-type room. Stone pews lined the walls, the windows were covered with stain glass designs of the First Chosen, and standing at the back of this room, specifically, standing on the raised altar, was Cahiti and Lucemon Falldown Mode.

            The Demon King grinned. "A fitting place, don't you think?"

            "For what?" Yamato asked.

            "Why, to watch the end of the Digital World of course. And then, I will remake it in my own image. I have won, I will be a god…no, correction, I _am_ a God!"

            Taichi growled. "You're nothing but an egotistical manic who's about to get his ass kicked!"

            "Hold on," Yamato said, "I want to ask him something."

            He smiled. "Ah, I bet you want to know how my Crest, the Crest of Pride was created, am I right?"

            The Chosen did not respond.

            "I shall take that as a yes. But, I think you all know how Pride was created, right? It was Skullgreymon!"

            Taichi flinched. Sora placed a hand on his shoulder, but he kept his gaze on his evil double.

            "I see that I've struck a nerve," Cahiti chuckled, "Yes, it was Skullgreymon. You, Taichi, thought that you could do everything because you possessed the Crest of Courage, and with that, you could make Agumon evolve and save the day, and everyone would praise you as a hero, right? But your arrogance overtook your mind and thus, the Crest of Pride was born."

            Taichi began to laugh. "If you're trying to psyche me out, it won't work. I put that mistake behind me a long time ago."

            Cahiti only shrugged. "Very well. Why don't we get started, then, huh?" He raised his right arm, which contained the energy-siphoning Soul Catcher. The eight crystals on the ancient device began to glow brightly, and they sent a wave of energy down the Demon King's arm and surrounding him and Lucemon both. Bolts of energy began to crackle around the whirlwind of multicolored light, building in intensity until the light exploded, revealing the newly created fused being. He resembled Cahiti, except with Lucemon's angelic and demonic wings and his black and white outfit. The Soul Catcher vanished.

            Taichi and Yamato stepped forward, their partners right behind them. "This is it!" Yamato shouted.

            Taichi nodded, "Yeah, I only hope we're ready."

            "Of course you are!" Catherine grinned, placing a hand on Yamato's shoulder.

            "She's right," Sora said, placing her hand on Taichi's shoulder, "But maybe you might need a little…more…" Her smile faded. "Now I'm giving you the power that I should have at the beginning."

            Catherine nodded as she stared at Yamato. "Me as well."

            Both young women closed their eyes, and the powers they held, that of Fire and Light, flowed into their respective warriors. The Katana of Hidokoro glowed brightly in Taichi's hand, while the Airguns of Lucien glowed in Yamato's hands. Both weapons soon exploded in light, enveloping the X-Chosen and their digimon partners.

            **"Agumon X warp evolve to…"**

**The light from Sora erupted from the Katana of Hidokoro flowed around Taichi, silhouetting him within a deep shade of red. Agumon X charged towards him and the light from the blade struck the orange dinosaur, turning him into beams of glowing light. The light struck Taichi's body, transforming him into a muscular dinosaur man covered with orange skin, sharp and jagged armor. The Katana of Hidokoro had changed to a long metal blade and attached to his right metal gauntlet. **

**            "Wargreymon X!"**

            **"Gabumon X warp evolve to…"**

**The light from Catherine erupted from the Airgun of Lucien flowed around Yamato, silhouetting him within a bright shade of white. Gabumon X charged towards him and the light from the gun struck the blue dog-digimon, turning him into beams of glowing light. The light struck Yamato's body, transforming him into a muscular canine man covered with blue metallic skin, and multiple firearms. The Airgun of Lucien had changed to a long metal shotgun and attached to his left metal gauntlet. **

**            "Metalgarurumon X!"**

            The two Mega digimon hovered in the air before Cahiti/Lucemon. Metalgarurumon X glanced to his partner and spoke in a fusion of Yamato and Gabumon X's voice. "You ready?"

            Wargreymon X laughed and answered in a mixture of Taichi and Agumon X's voice. "Oh yeah! Let's kick some ass!"

To be continued….

Author's note: Miayag called Taichi _Juukeitei_, which is a way of saying male cousin. At least according to the online dictionary that I used.


	19. The Book of Death: Chapter 3

            _Hello, how are you today? My name is Yuuko Makato…actually, that is my birth name. My name now is Yuuko Yagami. I am the mother of Taichi and Hikari, two of the Chosen Children. Their relationship to the Digital World has given me many sleepless nights, wondering if they were even still alive during their times in that mysterious world that only they were allowed to enter. Despite my worry, I could not be more proud of them. They have risked their lives so many times to save the millions of people living on this planet. I would never admit it to them, but I was always proud when I told my friends that my children were heroes._

_            Then Taichi and Hikari began to fight a young woman calling herself Chihi Miayag. I saw this young woman when she attacked the city. I saw her and could not believe my eyes, for when I looked at her, I saw my younger sister, Kumiko. She had moved to America many years ago, and we simply lost touch. I ran out to ask this young woman who she was, but her partner, I believe she called her, "Bastemon,' attacked me and the world turned to darkness…_

_            When I finally opened my eyes I was lying in the hospital; the news was on the television, and I saw that Taichi and Miayag were fighting again. I could not let him hurt her, so I ran out of the hospital to that battle. I asked her who she was, and she told me that her real name was Megumi Seisou, the daughter of my sister Kumiko, she was my niece, she was Taichi's cousin._

_            She claimed to be the granddaughter of Yuushi, the leader of the First Chosen, and if her grandfather was Yuushi, that meant that Yuushi was _my_ father! Unfortunately, I could not help Taichi or Hikari any longer. I had used up too my energy to leave the hospital and I fell into a coma again. And I am not sure how, but I know that my niece was injured in a battle with Cahiti, the Demon King, my son's dark side. I pray that Taichi and all of his friends are safe._

--

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Death:_

_Chapter 3_

--

            The Digital World was dying. The Demon King Cahiti had used the power he stole from all eight Daughters of the First to cause the Digital Hazard: the water crashed into the earth, the sky turned pitch black as bolts of lightning cascaded across it. The trees uprooted, bringing minerals and solid rocks into the air. It was the ultimate disaster, it was the end of the world.

            All across the planet, except for a small, one mile island called the Island of the Center. There stood the castle of the First Chosen, where the Digitalatri had once called home. However, they had been ejected, sent back to Earth, while the X-Chosen dealt with those that now occupied the island, the combined force of the Demon Lords and the Daughters of the First.

            Outside of the castle, the remaining X-Chosen were ready to fight their battle against the leaders of the Chosen Council: the Security General, Victor von Schmidt, and the Secretary of the Council, Madelyne Osborn. They had allied themselves with the Demon Lords for promises of power and wealth.

            Osborn hung onto Lilamon's back as she hovered in the air. Floating before them were Hikari, Nefertimon X, Mimi, Lillymon X, and Yuri and Kuwagamon X.  "Please," Hikari said, "Give up, don't make us hurt you…"

            Osborn started to laugh. "Give up, ta' ya criminals? I don't think so."

            "We're not criminals!" Mimi shouted, "_You_ are!"

            Osborn sneered. "Ya bitch!" she shouted, "I am the second-in-command of the Chosen Council, you are rebels!"

            "Are you so blind?" Yuri asked, "It is you, and the Demon Lords, that are destroying everything that the entire Chosen population has striven to build!"

            Osborn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever…"

            Hikari sighed deeply. "There's no way to convince you otherwise, huh? All right, Nefertimon, take me down."

            The angelic digimon floated to the ground where Hikari leapt off of her back. The other X-Chosen followed in turn, and the Chosen stood on the ground while their partners floated into the air. At first no side wanted to make a move, but Lillymon X finally shot at Lilamon, swinging her fists into the other flower woman. Osborn's partner caught both jabs in her fist and clenched them tightly before slamming her head into Lillymon X's head as hard as she could. The dress-wearing flower woman clutched her injured nose and floated to the side. Nefertimon X began to fire a series of stones from her leg decorations. "Rosetta Stone!"

            Lilamon fired a barrage of lasers from her fingers, striking each stone, turning them into dust. She fired another barrage of her Lila Shower, striking Nefertimon X multiple times along her side. The angelic digimon executed her Curse of Queen attack, this time hitting the flower woman in the head with two beams of red energy. She then shot forward, grabbing Nefertimon X by the tail and swinging her into the ground.

            Kuwagamon X growled and swung his claws at the flower woman's back. "Crunch Arm!"

            Lilamon twisted out of the way and began to slap Kuwagamon X multiple times in the face. "Beauty Slap!"

            The giant insect tried to flee, but Lilamon's attack continued relentlessly. Kuwagamon X's head twisted and turned until his eyes glossed over. His arms dropped to his side and he stood beside the flower woman.

            "Kuwagamon?" Yuri shouted.

            Osborn smirked. "Lilamon's Beauty Slap attack makes her opponents fall in love with her. Now your partner is under her control."

            "Never!" the Russian man shouted.

            Osborn turned to her partner. "Lilamon, I think they need a demonstration!"

            Lilamon turned to Kuwagamon X and grinned seductively. "Tell ya what, cutie, if you kill that second-rate flower bitch, then I'll give ya whatever ya want."

            "Yes, madam," Kuwagamon X responded. He focused on Lillymon X, who was just rejoining the battle.  She gasped slightly and braced herself as the insect swung his two claws at her from both sides. She had only enough time to through her arms up and block the giant pincers. The insect growled.

            "Hold on big guy," she said, struggling to keep the giant claws from closing in on her, "Come on, come back to us…"

            "Kuwagamon!" Yuri shouted, "Do not fight Lillymon, she is your teammate!"

            The insect ignored him and began to push even harder. The dress-wearing flower woman frowned. "S…sorry about this…" She kicked her leg up, striking the insect in the underside of the chin. He pulled the pincers back and Lillymon X was able to fly to safety. But not for too long, as Kuwagamon X shot after her.

            "Come on," the dress-wearing flower woman said, "You've got to snap out of it!

            Lilamon chuckled. "Talk all you want, you'll never free him." She glanced to her right and saw Nefertimon X flying towards her. She readied herself to execute her Lila Shower, but the X-Digimon attacked with her Curse of Queen, striking the flower woman in the chest. "Your Beauty Slap attack won't work on me!"

            Lilamon began to fire beams of lasers from her finger tips that struck the angel across her body. She was forced back, but managed to remain in position. She fired another round of her Rosetta Stone, but the flower woman countered once again with her Lila Shower, destroying the stone projectiles, creating a cloud of dust that permeated the air. This gave Nefertimon X the perfect cover to slam her head into the flower woman's stomach, causing her to lurch over. The angelic digimon then twisted her wings around and smashed them into Lilamon's head. She finished her combo by firing her Curse of Queen technique.

            Osborn blinked. "L..Lilamon?"

            Her partner growled and held up her flowered hands. "I'm going to enjoy killing you!"

            "Crunch Arm!"

            She twisted her head in time to watch Kuwagamon X slam his enlarged pincer into her head, throwing her into a flip. After she recovered she stared at Kuwagamon X and saw a wreath of flowers attached around his body. Lillymon X was hovering beside him. The dress-wearing flower woman grinned. "What do you know, it looks like my Necklace of Flowers countered your Beauty Slap attack."

            Lilamon growled and held out her hands to attack with her Lila Shower technique, but Kuwagamon X slammed his pincer claws into Lilamon's face, throwing her around. Lillymon X executed her Flower Cannon, blasting the ball of energy into her, throwing her into the ground.

            Nefertimon X hovered in the air and prepared her Curse of Queen attack, but Osborn had run to her partner's side. Hikari tried to warn her partner, but it was already too late, Nefertimon X's attack fired from her headdress and pierced Osborn's back and continued through her chest before it slammed into Lilamon. The digimon scattered into data and the human fell to the earth, lifeless.

            Hikari stared at Osborn's lifeless body, she thought of the deleted Lilamon. Her body began to shake slightly as she felt fierce emotions well up behind her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she turned to see Mimi standing beside her, she embraced the older woman in a tight hug. "Oh Mimi!" she cried.

            "Yeah, I know," she answered, "I know…"

            Only a few feet away, another major battle was occurring. Michael and Megaseadramon X, along with Jyou and Anomalocarimon X, and Dingo and Gesomon X stared down Victor von Schmidt and his Machgaogaomon partner.

            The Security General of the Chosen Council crossed his arms and grinned. "So, I do not suppose there is any chance of you surrendering?"

            "Us surrendering?" Michael exclaimed, "We'll fight to the very end! You're the one that should be surrendering!"

            Schmidt sneered. "I am the leader of the Chosen Council, I will not give in to traitors and rebels!"

            "Traitors?!" Dingo shouted, "You're the one that make a deal with demons jus' so you could get more power! You're scum!"

            "They're right," Jyou added, "The Chosen Council was created so that the Digital World had a governing body. It was supposed to be a place where everyone in the Digital World had a voice, but you turned it into a stepping stone for you own power-mongering!"

            Machgaogamon growled. "Power-mongering? The only reason we're in control is because none of you wanted the job! None of you were willing to take it, so why are you now attack our leadership style?"

            "Because you're greedy and corrupt!" Dingo shouted.

            Michael sighed and shook his head. "Why the hell are we even talking? Let's take him down quickly and go help Taichi and Yamato!"

            "I agree," Megaseadramon X said, slithering forward. Anomalocarimon X and Gesomon X soon joined him. Machgaogamon stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. He dropped his arms to his side and stood motionless for a moment before shooting forward, slamming his fists into Megaseadramon X's face. The serpent coiled backwards and the wolf-man grabbed his body and pulled as hard as he could, making his snake-form tight. He then slammed his knee into Megaseadramon X's underside. The serpent whipped his tail around, striking Machgaogamon in the side of the head. He released the serpent and stumbled back.

            Gesomon X swung his white tentacles around, grabbing Machgaogamon by his ankles and pulling back with all of his might. The wolf fell forward and smashed his face into the ground. He growled in displeasure and grabbed Gesomon X's tentacles, pulling him forward. He flexed his muscles and began to attack the large squid with a flurry of punches and kicks. "Gaoga Tornado!"

            He continued to assault him until he kicked Gesomon X in the underside with such force that he was sent flying into the air. Machgaogamon shot into the sky above him, placed both of his hands together and slammed him with all of his might, sending him smashing into the ground.

            "Tail Blade!"

            The wolf easily shot out of the way before Anomalocarimon X's attack would have harmed him. He gently landed back on the ground and stared at the large crustacean. "I guess it's your turn now, huh?" He opened his mouth and spewed out a blast of light at Jyou's partner. "Howling Cannon!"

            Anomalocarimon X was flipped in the air as a result of the attack, but managed to right himself with only seconds to spare before Machgaogamon began his attack. He pulled his fist back, then sent it into the crustacean's face. "Winning Knuckle!"

            Anomalocarimon X was sent skidding backwards, but Machgaogamon flew after him, pulling his fist back to attack once again. The crustacean crossed his large pincers and fired a beam of twin energy. "Tail Blade!"

             Machgaogamon blasted a beam of light from his mouth. "Howling Cannon!" The wolf's beam sliced through the crustacean's beam, pounding him in the face. However, the now multi-pieced attack of Anomalocarimon X was still able to fly through the air and slice Machgaogamon in numerous places across his arms and torso.

            "Deadly Shade!"

            Machgaogamon's vision was suddenly eliminated as Gesomon X's ink splattered across his face. The trio of sea digimon began to cheer, but their jubilation quickly dropped when they saw that the wolf simply removed his sunglasses, allowing him to see once more.

            "A good strategy," he remarked, "But not good enough!" He pulled his fist back again, "Winning Knuckle!"

            Before he could punch Gesomon X, Megaseadramon X came flying from the side, his large horn poised for action. "King Javelin!" His enlarged horn sliced through the wolf's arm, causing it to fall to the ground.

            Schmidt gasped in horror, while Machgoagamon roared in pain. "Get him!" Michael shouted, "Hurry before he recovers!"

            Gesomon X chuckled as he slithered forward. He began to pound Machgaogamon with his tentacles. "Devil Bashing!"

            "Get outta the way!" Anomalocarimon X shouted, "It's my turn! Twin Blade!"

            His attack struck the wolf directly in the chest, causing even more pain to shoot through his body.

            "We've got him!" Michael shouted, "Quick, Megaseadramon, finish him off!"

            Her serpentine partner lunged forward with his horn glowing brightly. "King Javelin!" His giant horn skewered the wolf digimon. Machgaogamon refused to scream as his data was deleted.

            Michael turned to Schmidt. "There, you've lost."

            The leader of the Chosen Council stared at the space where his partner had been only moments before. He turned to look at the others. He suddenly shook his head. "No, no I will never be your prisoner!" He turned to run and charged from the battlefield as fast as he could. He was running so fast that he did not notice that he had come to the edge of the island and fell tumbling down a sloped, rocky cliff. The X-Chosen ran to the edge and peered over but saw nothing but roaring water.

            "Think he survived?" Dingo asked.

            "I doubt it," Jyou said, "I mean, one of us probably could have, but I doubt he or his partner spent much time in the water."

            "I guess that's the end of the Chosen Council," Michael added. He glanced up and saw the dark maelstrom eating away at the rest of the Digital World, "Not that it matter now."

            "What are we waiting for?" Dingo shouted, "Taichi and Yamato probably need our help!"

            Jyou and Michael nodded and ran to join their partners. They, along with those that had battled Osborn and Lilamon, were given the shock of their lives as the castle of the First Chosen, simply collapsed.

111

            Cahiti only shrugged. "Very well. Why don't we get started, then, huh?" He raised his right arm, which contained the energy-siphoning Soul Catcher. The eight crystals on the ancient device began to glow brightly, and they sent a wave of energy down the Demon King's arm and surrounding him and Lucemon both. Bolts of energy began to crackle around the whirlwind of multicolored light, building in intensity until the light exploded, revealing the newly created fused being. He resembled Cahiti, except with Lucemon's angelic and demonic wings and his black and white outfit. The Soul Catcher vanished.

            Taichi and Yamato stepped forward, their partners right behind them. "This is it!" Yamato shouted.

            Taichi nodded, "Yeah, I only hope we're ready."

            "Of course you are!" Catherine grinned, placing a hand on Yamato's shoulder.

            "She's right," Sora said, placing her hand on Taichi's shoulder, "But maybe you might need a little…more…" Her smile faded. "Now I'm giving you the power that I should have at the beginning."

            Catherine nodded as she stared at Yamato. "Me as well."

            Both young women closed their eyes, and the powers they held, that of Fire and Light, flowed into their respective warriors. The Katana of Hidokoro glowed brightly in Taichi's hand, while the Airguns of Lucien glowed in Yamato's hands. Both weapons soon exploded in light, enveloping the X-Chosen and their digimon partners.

            "Agumon X warp evolve to…"

The light from Sora erupted from the Katana of Hidokoro flowed around Taichi, silhouetting him within a deep shade of red. Agumon X charged towards him and the light from the blade struck the orange dinosaur, turning him into beams of glowing light. The light struck Taichi's body, transforming him into a muscular dinosaur man covered with orange skin, sharp and jagged armor. The Katana of Hidokoro had changed to a long metal blade and attached to his right metal gauntlet.

            "Wargreymon X!"

"Gabumon X warp evolve to…"

The light from Catherine erupted from the Airgun of Lucien flowed around Yamato, silhouetting him within a bright shade of white. Gabumon X charged towards him and the light from the gun struck the blue dog-digimon, turning him into beams of glowing light. The light struck Yamato's body, transforming him into a muscular canine man covered with blue metallic skin, and multiple firearms. The Airgun of Lucien had changed to a long metal shotgun and attached to his left metal gauntlet.

            "Metalgarurumon X!"

The two Mega digimon hovered in the air before Cahiti/Lucemon. Metalgarurumon X glanced to his partner and spoke in a fusion of Yamato and Gabumon X's voice. "You ready?"

            Wargreymon X laughed and answered in a mixture of Taichi and Agumon X's voice. "Oh yeah! Let's kick some ass!"

            Down below, the Daughters of the First, together for the first time, stared in wonder at the two Mega digimon. "Wow," Catherine said, staring at Metalgarurumon X, "I…I was able to do zat?"

            "It's amazing, isn't it?" Sora asked, staring at Wargreymon X, "My power did that…"

            "And they combined," Piyomon pointed out, "Yamato is with Gabumon, and Taichi is with Agumon."

            "They've become so strong," Noriko gasped, "I can feel it!"

            Cahiti/Lucemon was not impressed. He smirked. "So you evolved together and you think that makes you the superior one? While the other Demon Lords fused with their partners using only one element energy, I have used all eight! I am far stronger them you...Uff!"

            He was abruptly cut off when Metalgarurumon X fired a few rounds from his wrist based guns, hitting him in the chest. It did not injury him as much as the metal wolf hoped, but it did silence him.

            "Sorry about jumping ahead like that," he said to Wargreymon X, "But I couldn't stand listening to his mouth anymore."

            "Yeah, thanks," the warrior dinosaur responded, "My ears were beginning to hurt."

            Cahiti/Lucemon growled and flexed his muscles. "All right, if that is how you want this to start, so be it, but just because you had the first shot, does not mean you will win."

            Before anyone could blink, the Demon Lord slammed his fist deep into Wargreymon X's stomach, lurching him forward. He then pulled his fist back and grinned. "Paradise Lost!"

            He executed his combo attack with furry and force, He started by pounding the dinosaur digimon in quick succession before kicking him with enough force to send him sailing into the air. Cahiti/Lucemon shot after him, grabbing his ankles and placed his heels into Wargreymon X's armpits. He pushed down with all of his might and they crashed into the floor with such force that they continued through the wood and entered the room below. Metalgarurumon X shot after them, and the Daughters of the First cautiously crowded around the hole, peering inside.

            The three combatants had arrived in a large cavern-like room, which gave them plenty of area to maneuver. Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X hovered before their enemy for only a moment before flying in to attack. Metalgarurumon X led the charge, pointing his rocket launcher at the fallen angel. "Garuru Tomahawk!"

            Cahiti/Lucemon twisted out of the way, the giant missile narrowly missing him. Wargreymon X shot above him and used the razor-sharp blades on his gauntlet to slash across the angel's face, drawing blood. The fallen angel twisted around so that he was now facing the dinosaur digimon. He made a maneuver with his hands and created a cross in the shape of ten small plants. "Grand Cross!"

            Wargreymon X was propelled off of Cahiti/Lucemon, but he still managed to slice a large chunk out of the angel's arm before he was thrown into the air. The fallen angel felt a sharp pain in his back as Metalgarurumon X slammed his fists into his back. Cahiti/Lucemon was motionless as Wargreymon X shot in from above, his bladed gauntlets ready for attack. He twisted out of the way at the last moment and both Megas crashed into one another.

            Cahiti/Lucemon laughed as he hovered in the air. "It's a good thing that you two are here to defeat me, the Digital World was really in trouble for a little while…"

            "That bastard!" Metalgarurumon X growled, "He's so cocky!"

            "We've got to take him down," Wargreymon X whispered, "You distract him, then I'll come in from behind."

            The metal wolf nodded. He primed his weapons and shot forward, unleashing entire rounds of bullets from all of his weapons. Cahiti/Lucemon began to dodge all of the deadly projectiles with such focus that he did not notice Wargreymon X come from underneath. The dinosaur man held his blades before him and when he was in range he jabbed them deep into the fallen angel's leg. He was thrown off balance and caught in the maelstrom of attacks from Metalgarurumon X. Bullets pierced his side, and he floated into the air to recover.

            "What the hell was that?" Metalgarurumon X shouted, "Why did you hit his leg?"

            "Give me a break!" Wargreymon X shouted, "I was aiming for his chest, but it's kinda hard to move when I gotta dodge bullets!"

            "You told me to distract him!"

            "_Him!_ Not me!"

            Cahiti/Lucemon chuckled as he hovered above them. "I guess despite the years of growing you two have done, you'll still always be the same bickering kids you were when you first met."

            "What's that suppose to mean?" Wargreymon X shouted.

            The fallen angel chuckled. "It means that you'll never be the general you want to be, that the Chosen will never be the army you want them to be…you're not heroes, you are nothing!"

            Up above them, the Daughters of the First gasped at Cahiti/Lucemon's statement. "Oh, come on, Taichi," Maria said, "You're everything that you want to be…"

            Catherine placed her hands together. "Oh, I hope zat Yamato believes in himself as much as I believe in him."

            Noriko narrowed her eyes at her, but said nothing. Instead, she said, "Yamato you can do anything."

            Sora stared at Wargreymon X. "Taichi, please, you've got to win. I can't lose you…"

            Down below, the wolf and the dinosaur were staring at the fallen angel as he floated above them. "Why don't we throw off the kid gloves, okay?" Let's play Dead or Alive."

He held out his arms, and a ball of light appeared in his right angelic palm with a ball of darkness appeared in his left demonic palm. "Get ready, here we go!" He flung the ball of light at the two mega digimon, enveloping them. Bolts of electricity began to course through them, sending waves of such intense pain that they were forced to remain in one position. Cahiti/Lucemon lifted up the orb of darkness and chuckled. "Let's find out whether you live or die!"

            He flung the ball of darkness into the ball of light, and both opposing forces exploded, sending waves of light and force throughout the room. Cahiti/Lucemon chuckled with laughter. "I guess you die, what a shame."

            "Sorry to disappoint you, but we're very much alive!"

            The fallen gasped in horror and disbelief. Floating before him was Metalgarurumon X and Wargreymon X, both had scratches and chinks in the metal armor, but otherwise were none the worse for wear. "That's impossible!" Cahiti/Lucemon shouted, "No one can withstand my Dead or Alive attack!"

            "Looks like we did," Metalgarurumon X responded, "And you know why? Because we're stronger and more powerful then you!"

            "That's impossible!" he shouted, "My power stems from all eight Daughters…"

            "But you stole them!" Wargreymon X shouted, "Our powers were given to us willingly. That's why we are stronger then you!"

            Cahiti/Lucemon shouted with rage. "You're nothing compared to me, nothing! Paradise Lost!" He shot at Wargreymon X and began to assault him with a flurry of quick punches. He was not able to reach the second phase of his combo attack as Wargreymon X was able to slam his knee into Cahiti/Lucemon's stomach. His fist attack slowly stopped as pain shot through his body. The dinosaur punched him as hard as he could, sending him twirling into a tailspin. He placed his gauntlets together above his head, his long metal blades sticking out.

"Great Tornado!"

            He began to spin around in a quick tornado, slamming into Cahiti/Lucemon's already injured chest. The attack tore apart the front of his white shirt and even drew blood from his chest. Wargreymon X finished the attack by punching him once again, sending him spinning to the ground.

            Metalgarurumon X shot in front of Wargreymon X and fired a missile from his large carrier. "Garuru Tomahawk!" The deadly projectile shot through the air before striking the fallen angel directly in the chest, throwing him into the brick wall before the missile exploded. The entire castle shook and the walls began to crumble. This in turn led to the ceiling crumbling, which caused the upper room to shake, which led to the upper floors to creak. A domino effect had been started.

            "Oops," Metalgarurumon X said.

            "Nice job!" Wargreymon X shouted, over the roar of the collapsing castle, "We've got to get out of here!"

            "I'm not arguing!" the metal wolf shouted back.

            Both mega digimon shot back through the large hole and entered the cathedral room. "Quick!" Wargreymon X shouted, "Climb on, we've got to get out of here!"

            Sora, Maria, Anna, Keeya and their partners climbed over Wargreymon X while Catherine, Noriko, Lynna, Iduia and their partners rested in Metalgarurumon X's arms. The two Mega digimon shot through the halls, heading in the direction that they hoped would bring them to safety. As the bricks and mortar that held the ceiling in place began to collapse, the Daughters of the First cried in fear, but Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X continued on their path, reaching the main entrance and escaping with only moments to spare. The entire front portion of the castle collapsed in a mighty roar of dust and debris.

            The Daughters of the First fell from the Mega digimon's arms and collapsed to the ground. Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X exploded in light, reverting to Taichi, Agumon X, Yamato and Gabumon X. All four collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

            "Sora!" Mimi shouted, nearly tackling her to the ground. "Sora, you're okay! Catherine, you're here too!"

            The Japanese woman and the French woman nearly suffocated as Mimi hugged both of them as tight as she could. "I was so worried about you! You have no idea!"

            The other X-Chosen expressed their relief at seeing the two women alive. As Catherine began to tell the others about their imprisonment, Hikari approached Sora in secret. "You're really happy about something, what is it?"

            The redhead shrugged slightly. "I…it's about your brother."

            The younger woman frowned. "Oh, what has he done now?"

            "It's nothing bad," Sora grinned, "I…I think there might be…something between us…" She glanced over to Taichi, who was talking to Yamato and Michael.

            Hikari was silent for a moment, then her face broke into a grin. "That's great, Sora. You don't know how lonely Taichi's been since Daisuke died. I'm really happy that he's friends with Yamato and the others again, but…that night at the bar, when you and he met each other again after years…I don't think I ever saw him so happy."

            Sora began to blush. "S…stop it!"

            The younger woman continued to speak. "I'm really happy for you." Her smile faded, "But I'm really mad at Taichi right now, so don't tell him I said that, okay?"

            Sora blinked. "What's wrong?"

            Hikari waved her hand. "Well…our mother woke up from her coma and told him that Miayag was really our cousin, but now she's back in her coma. He didn't tell me any of that, I found out from Miayag herself."

            Sora placed her hand over her mouth. "Y..your mother's in a coma?"

            Hikari then remembered that Sora and Catherine had been captured before Miayag invaded Tokyo. "We've got a lot to talk about, but we'll do that latter, okay?"

            The redhead nodded. They rejoined the others, who were staring out of the island to the black storm occurring in the rest of the Digital World. Large sections of the earth floated to the sky and dissolved slowly into data. Great columns of water erupted into the sky, and even lava began to explode through the surface of the planet. Trees were uprooted as they floated into the atmosphere. The entire planet was crumbling.

            "I thought that defeating Cahiti would have stopped this," Taichi sighed, "I guess not."

            Jyou frowned. "I don't know how long this island is going to remain safe, so maybe we'd better get back to Earth as soon as possible."

            "What about the Chosen that were here?" Hikari asked.

            Dingo shrugged. "Let's just hope that when all hell broke loose, they went back ta Earth."

            "That's all we can do," Jyou added.

            They reluctantly agreed and walked to the nearest Digital Gate, a television set that had been erupted from the castle as it collapsed. They each went through in turn, until only Sora, Noriko, Yamato, Taichi, Agumon X and Gabumon X were left. Noriko grinned as she placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Come on, let's go back home."

            The redhead glanced over her shoulder at Taichi. "Don't worry," the young man said, "I'm right behind you."

            The two young women stepped towards the gate when a loud roar echoed through the island. Everyone twisted their heads to the rubble of the castle. A large pile of fallen debris exploded into dust as a familiar figure shot into the air, Cahiti/Lucemon, floating in the air and panting heavily. Yamato and Taichi stood their ground, while their partners leapt in front of them.

            "Taichi!" Sora shouted.

            The two young men turned around and realized that Noriko and Sora were still there, behind them, the Digital Gate was still flickering with light and energy. They pushed both of them into the column of glowing light, despite their protests.

            "Yamato!" Noriko shouted as the Digital Gate enveloped her, "Yamato!"

            "Taichi, I'm not leaving you!" Sora shouted as Taichi pushed her closer.

            "Go!" he shouted, "And I..l…just go!" With a final shove, she was sent tumbling into the Digital Gate.

Taichi and Yamato turned their attention back to Cahiti/Lucemon, who was panting so heavily that his entire shoulders were shaking. He threw his arms into the air and screamed. "Hear me, my Demon Lords! Hear the voice of your master! Give me you might, give me your energy so that I may destroy our enemies!"

            The two X-Chosen and their partners stared in wonder and awed terror as small comets of light appeared out of nothingness. A bright purple one shot past Taichi's head. He blinked. "Shiokuro?"

            Yamato was about to respond, when a ball of yellow light shot passed his face. "Karetu?" He spied a dark blue ball further in front of them. "Seiduka!"

            Agumon X pointed to a ball of red light. "Asro."

            All four turned their eyes back to Cahiti/Lucemon. All six balls of light merged with the Demon King, and his body began to glow brightly, twisting and changing in shape. When the rainbow of light faded, instead of the fused human/angle digimon floating in the air, there was a massive black dragon holding within his arms a sphere of pure darkness. The dragon laughed in a deep voice, "Lucemon Satan Mode!"

            Taichi stared in horror. "Oh shit!"

            Lucemon Satan Mode roared loudly, flapping his giant wings with such force that Taichi, Yamato and their partners were flung through the air and passed through the perimeter of the island. They landed on a piece of the land that had become jarred loose and was now floating through the roaring sea. Giant bolts of lightning crackled across the sky, the wind roared and rain poured from the heavens. The black dragon was now flying towards them.

            "Quick!" Taichi shouted, "We've got to evolve!"

            "Agumon X evolve to Wargreymon X!"

            "Gabumon X evolve to Metalgarurumon X!"

            Taichi and Yamato fused with their partners, transforming into the powerful Mega digimon. They both floated into the air and watched as Lucemon Satan Mode came closer and closer. "All right," Wargreymon X said, "You wanna start?"

            "Sure, why not." The metal wolf stared at the black dragon as it slowed to a stop a few feet before them. He whipped out his guns and pointed them at his enemy. But before he was able to call out his attack, Lucemon Satan Mode growled loudly and spoke in a deep voice dripping with hate.

            _"Purgatorial Flame!"_

            The dragon opened his mouth and fired a blast of pure, intense black flame that enveloped Metalgarurumon X and sent him crashing to the small island. Lucemon Satan Mode continued to poor out streams of flame, not allowing the wolf a chance to flee. Wargreymon X shot up to the dragon's head and with a fully swing of his arm, sent his bladed gauntlets into the side of his head. He pulled his other arm around to do the same, but before he could, one of Lucemon Satan Mode's wings smacked into him, sending him floating away. Before he could recover, the dragon's tail whipped around, smashing him in the head and sending him spiraling to the ground. He was expecting to crash into the small island, but was surprised when he shot into water. After twisting himself around he shot through the water's surface and glanced around. What he saw caused him to gasp in horror. There was no land mass left, only a few small fragments, as well as massive collections of data that was slowly vanishing into the air.

            "Oh shit!" Wargreymon X shouted, staring at the vanishing planet, "We need to get out of here!"

            "Two problems with that," Metalgarurumon X said, "One, we've got to find a Digital Gate, and two…" He glanced over to Lucemon Satan Mode, where flames were starting to appear around his mouth, "…I don't think he's gonna let us leave!"

            "Cahiti!" Wargreymon X shouted, "We need to leave! If the Digital World disappears, what's gonna happen to us!"

            The dragon pulled his head back and spewed out another stream of fire._"Purgatorial Flame!"_

            "He's gone completely over the edge!" Metalgarurumon X shouted, "There's nothing left to reason with!"

Lucemon Satan Mode's intense flame attack once again propelled through the air. Both Mega digimon shot to the side and Lucemon Satan Mode's attack struck the ocean below them, sending steam billowing into the air. Metalgarurumon X flew alongside the massive dragon and began to unleash countless rounds of bullets, but each and every one either did no damage, or simply bounced off.

            On the other side, Wargreymon X used his bladed gauntlets to slash and tear, but to no avail. He eventually gave up and decided to attack more directly. He pulled his blade back then slammed it into the dragon's thick hide as hard as he could. He was shocked when Lucemon Satan Mode gave no indication of being harmed. The dragon began to flap his wings rapidly as both Mega digimon were propelled away. Only a quick, forced twist of their bodies kept them from splashing into the water.

            "This isn't working," Metalgarurumon X panted.

            "I know," Wargreymon X added, "We've got to kick it a notch!"

            Lucemon Satan Mode roared as he began to flap his wings again. "All right," Wargreymon X said, "Let's go!"

            Metalgarurumon X shot into the air, while Wargreymon X held up his palms and began to gather water into a giant ball above his head. The wolf digimon spread out his limbs and opened all of his missile chambers. "Garuru Burst!"

            All of his missiles fired at once, spinning and twisting through the air before impacting Lucemon Satan Mode on all sides. Giant welts ripped across his scaly black skin.

            Wargreymon X now held a massive ball of water above his head. He pulled his hands back, then threw the ball forward with all of his might. "Poseidon Force!"

            The attack struck the dragon directly in the side, causing another giant welt to appear. Both digimon were about to cheer, when to their horror, they watched as Lucemon Satan Mode's welts vanished and his skin was completely healed.

            "Oh shit!" Metalgarurumon X gasped.

            Wargreymon X growled. "All right, fine, I'll just try something even stronger!" He flew to one of the floating fragments of land and landed in the center. He raised his hand and began to draw streams of lava from the rest of the remaining land masses, collecting them into a large ball of flame above his head. "Gaia Force!"

            He flung the ball of flame at the dragon's side, where it exploded upon impact. When the smoke cleared, a giant hole was visible. However, only moments later, the skin reformed and the dragon's injury vanished.

            "Damn it…" the dinosaur growled.

            Lucemon Satan Mode began to flap his wings and seven circles of light appeared on his back. "What's he doing now?" Metalgarurumon X asked.

            "I don't think we're gonna want to know…" Wargreymon X answered.

            The circles of light on the dragon's back exploded, sending columns of light into the air, where they began to spread out quickly, encircling the two Mega digimon. As soon as the sphere of light was complete, both Mega digimon felt pain like nothing they had ever felt before shot through their bodies. They both screamed as loud as they possibly could, and soon the sphere of light turned to one of darkness….

111

            The day was beautiful, the sky was a prefect blue, the sun was shining brightly, casting its rays down on the church below. Clouds were absent, birds were chirping, the trees were a multitude of green. It was a beautiful day.

            Standing before the door, Taichi fingered at the tie around his neck. A hand slapped his away. "Stop that!"

            He growled at Yamato. The blond man sighed. "You're going to look pretty stupid standing there with a mess-up tie!"

            "I hate these things," he said.

            "I thought you wore those all the time?" he asked.

            "Just for meetings," he replied.

            A young man with curly hair ran over to them. He was dressed in a similar suit as Yamato and Taichi. "What are you two doing? Come on, the others are waiting!"

            "What are you talking about?" Taichi asked.

            Daisuke slapped him hard on the back. "How could you forget man? Let's go!"

            Yamato and Taichi shrugged and followed the younger man around to the side of the church building, where a large group of Chosen and their digimon partners were waiting. His mother was busy talking to his father, while Hikari. Catherine, Maria and Noriko were busy chatting to Miyako. Noriko's skin was completely whole, Catherine's hair was flowing in blond locks past her shoulders, and Maria had both of her legs and was standing proudly.

            "You should see how she looks!" the purple-haired woman gasped, "That dress is so beautiful!"

            Hikari giggled. "I can't wait until my wedding day." She glanced slightly over to where Takeru was standing next to Koushiro, Jyou, Iori and Ken. The blond man gave her an embarrassed wave before he looked over his shoulder.

            "You guys made it," he grinned.

            Taichi turned to where Takeru was looking and saw another group of Chosen walking towards them. He recognized Yuri and Anna-who still had the bluest eyes he had ever seen, Dingo and Lynna, who was throwing both of her arms into the air, Keeya, who was waving with her right hand, and Iduia, who was grinning and breathing in the warm afternoon air.  

            "This is great," the Brazilian Chosen said, "I don't think there is a more beautiful day for this."

            "Thanks," Taichi grinned.

            "You look really handsome too," Maria added, smiling.

            He shrugged. "Yeah, well…"

            "Don't sell yourself short, man!" Dingo grinned, slamming his hand into his back, "This is gonna be the best day of your life!"

            He grinned. "Yeah, yeah I guess it is."

            Koushiro walked over to him. "I am really happy for you."

            Taichi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks man. You know, I don't say this enough, but I'm really happy to have you as a friend."

            The redheaded man smiled and nodded. "Well, I only wonder how long you want to stay here."

            "What do you mean?" he asked.

            "This place is perfect, it's what you always wanted, but can you really leave everyone else behind? What about everyone that's still counting on you? A perfect world…"

            "But it isn't real," Taichi finished. He stared at the scene before him and frowned. "This isn't real…"

111

            Wargreymon X's vision slowly returned as the howl of the wind shot past him. As he fully opened his eyes he realized that he and Metalgarurumon X were floating within a giant black void. He could see the dark and stormy sky above them, but he soon realized with horror what should have been where he was. "Oh no!" he gasped, "The Digital World…it's gone! The land and water is completely gone!"

It was true. All that was left was a few floating fragments of land and collections of water. Puddles of magma were floating about as well.

            There was a loud roar from overhead. He twisted his head around and saw Lucemon Satan Mode hovering above them. The giant dragon roared deeply once again, flapping his wings. Flames began to appear around his mouth once again.

            _"Purgatorial Flame!"_

            Lucemon Satan Mode's attack shot towards Metalgarurumon X. Wargreymon X did not even think as he flew to his friend's side, pushing him out of the way. The dinosaur would have been injured if he had not twisted out of the way at the last moment. The dragon's attack flowed past him and shot into the void where it vanished.

            "Oh that can't be good," he gasped.

            "Oh man, my head…"

            The dinosaur twisted around and saw Metalgarurumon X floating towards him, rubbing the back of his head. "What's up man?" Wargreymon X nodded.

            "Not much," he said, "I see the land and sea are gone."

            "Yeah," the dinosaur sighed, "We've got to get out of here as fast as we can."

            The dragon roared again and began to fly towards them. "As soon as we take care of this guy!" he shouted. Both Mega digimon shot out of the way seconds before Lucemon Satan Mode's tail would have sliced them in half.

            "Any ideas?" Metalgarurumon X asked.

            "Just one," he responded, "You see that ball he's holding?"

            "Yeah?"

            "I bet he could pound us to within an inch of our lives if he could use his hands and feet, so why's he soon determined to keep that ball there?"

            The wolf nodded. "All right, what's the plan?"

            "We've got to gat a look inside there. I'm gonna distract him, you see if you can see anything."

            Metalgarurumon X nodded. "Right."

            Wargreymon X nodded in reply and shot into the air. He flew directly in front of the dragon's face and jabbed him with his bladed gauntlet. He roared and attempted to bat him out of the way with his head, but the dinosaur kept twisting and turning to keep out of his reach. Meanwhile, Metalgarurumon X was able to fly to the dark ball and peer inside. He could only see a black swirl of darkness. He peered even deeper and did indeed see something floating inside; it resembled a cocoon-like creature with a sharp stinger at the end and a set of gold wings.

            He pointed his arm weapon at the strange creature and fired. "Garuru Tomahawk!" The missile shot into the ball, impacting the creature and ejecting it out the other side.

            "What the hell was that?" Wargreymon X shouted. Metalgarurumon X attempted to shout to him, but the dinosaur did not hear as Lucemon Satan Mode began to roar loudly. The ball  crumbled and collapsed, revealing a large hole within the dragon's chest; even more strange, there was nothing within the creature itself.

            Yet, without the ball to hold, the dragon roared and thrashed his arms about in rage. "I think he lost what little mind he had left!" Metalgarurumon X shouted.

            "I'll handle it," Wargreymon grinned. He once again raised his hands into the air and began to gather energy. This time, however, chucks of the land, the remaining water, the floating lava, even portions of the air gathered within a massive ball in his palms. He focused on the hole within the dragon and flung the ball forward.

            "Take this! Gaia Force ZERO!"

            The ball of elements and energy shot through the empty chest and impacted on the rear side. The dragon's body exploded into data.

            "Oh shit," Metalgarurumon X sighed, "That had to be the hardest battle we…Look out!"

            Wargreymon X spun around and saw the winged-larva form of Lucemon flying towards him, the stinger pointing forward. "Die!" it shouted.

            The dinosaur had little time to react. He twisted his right arm around and pierced the larva's entire body. Lucemon's Larva form was stuck on the dinosaur's blade, but he continued to twist, trying to impact his stinger into the warrior digimon's chest. Wargreymon X pulled his left arm around, and with a quick slice of his second bladed gauntlet, cut the digimon in half. With a final scream, Cahiti and his Lucemon partner, in all of their forms, were gone.

            They did not have time to celebrate, however, as the atmosphere began to vanish before their eyes. To their horror, they were able to see slivers of Digital Space pouring through. "I think this is it!" Metalgarurumon X shouted.

            Wargreymon X grabbed his hand in a backwards handshake. "I want you to know there's no one else I'd rather be with right now!"

            "Likewise!" the wolf shouted.

            Both Mega digimon held tightly to one another's hand as the world disappeared around them.

111

'

            On Earth, the X-Chosen and the Daughters of the First nervously paced in front of the desktop in Jyou's apartment. When they fled from the collapsing Digital World, they had all arrived there, and they were praying and hoping that their friends would return safely.

            Sora and Maria sat on the couch, as neither one had their appropriate equipment to replace their missing lower limbs: Sora's crutch and Maria's wheelchair. The younger woman could clearly see that the redheaded woman was shaking. "It's okay," she smiled, "Taichi will be okay, he always is."

            Sora nodded slightly. "Yeah…yeah…"

            Noriko was worried as well, and she had walked the same path on the carpet so many times, she had driven a steep rut into it. "Come on, Yamato, come on…"

            The desktop screen began to flicker with light. Everyone held their breaths in anticipation, but as the desktop screen dimmed once again, everyone could guess what had happened.

            "The Digital World's gone, isn't it?" Palmon X asked.

            "I think so," Iduia's Kokuwamon responded.

            Sora gasped, "Then…Taichi and Yamato are…"

            The desktop computer suddenly exploded with light as four figure were ejected forcefully through the screen. Agumon X and Gabumon X skidded into the wall, while Taichi smashed into Jyou, and Yamato knocked Michael to the ground.

            The entire apartment exploded in cheers and claps. Jyou and Yuri helped Taichi to his feet, while Michael and Dingo lifted Yamato to his feet. However, the blond man was thrown back to the floor when Noriko tackled him. Jyou and Yuri lifted carried Taichi to the couch and dropped him beside Sora.

            "Taichi!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

            Noriko's Plotmon and Sora's Piyomon were busy congratulating the two digimon partners as well. Plotmon was rubbing her head up against Gabumon X's chest, while Piyomon was hugging Agumon X tightly.

            "You were great!" she laughed. Agumon X could not respond, as his tongue was hanging out of his mouth and his eyes were swirling vortexes.

            "I…I'm so tired," Taichi said, his eyes struggling to stay open.

            "It's fine," Sora laughed, tears starting to appear in her eyes, "You're safe now."

111

            Somewhere in a place surrounded by darkness, a mysterious being laughed. He raised his hands to the air. "So much destruction, so much pain. I can taste it, it is soothing to me."

He smiled. "So, Cahiti, my most loyal pawn, you have been destroyed. But it matters not, you have already completed your mission, and I will soon have my freedom!"

_The Book of Death hath ended, the Book of Shadows now begins._

Author's note: Okay, this chapter didn't take nearly as long as I thought it was going to. This ends not only the arc with the Demon Lords as the main villains, but the end of the Demon Lords as well. But this tale is not yet over.

And I thank you for all of the reviews. See ya next time.


	20. The Book of Shadows: Chapter 1

Author's note: My thanks goes out to all reviewers for this tale. I am truly happy to see so many happy pleased readers. Thank you.

_Greetings, my name is Megumi Seisou, known to the world as Chihi Miayag, the Priestess of the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Digitalatri. I was born in America to Masato and Kumiko Seisou. My early memories were of conflicting emotions, my father supported his family, but it was not in a legal way. He was a drug dealer, and my mother was a user. When my father attempted to free himself from that life, the person he called friend betrayed and murdered him. _

_            My mother never recovered from that horrendous event. She began to use those drugs to free herself from the pain, but her body was not able to manage the dangerous chemicals coursing through her blood. With every instance that I arrived home and discovered her unconscious on the floor, I would alert the hospital, with every instance, she would promise me that she would seek help, she promised me that she would become better._

_            But she did not. When I was only seventeen, my mother died. I was alone, all except for my digimon partner, Plotmon. She was the only family that I now had. We wandered the Digital World, and in my pain and depression, I almost foolishly took my own life. But in that moment of fate, I was contacted by the Digital God. He gave to me power that would be based on the former powers of Taichi and Hikari Yagami. They had fallen from the true path, and I would follow behind, continuing the work they had completed before they fell from grace, thus, I was given the name, Chihi Miayag._

_            My crusade began following a horrendous event in the entire history of the Chosen; the arrival of the Second Black Death.  It began its life as a computer virus that destroyed the data on a hard drive, however, when this virus entered the Digital World, it mutated into a life-threatening pandemic, that began to devour the body of a Chosen and their digimon partner, destroying limbs, lungs, hearts…I then knew my mission, to save these doomed souls and bring them into the only truth, the Digital God._

_            To complete this task, I chose seven Chosen and gave to them the power of the Digital God. This might purge the demonic virus from their bodies, and gave their partners the ability to evolve once more, Vicente Lobo from Mexico gained Skull Satanmon, Sam Anderson from New York gained Mummymon, Tatum Heany from New York gained Archnemon, James Masters from London gained Metalseadramon, Takashi Yuske from Japan gained Mugen Dramon, Keiko Shingu from Japan gained Pinocchimon, and Hiroshi Shibya gained Piedmon. _

_            The Chosen had achieved their own method of escaping the Second Black Death, the X-Antibody, which was created by Koushiro Izumi shortly before his death. However, only ten percent of the remaining Chosen population proved to be compatible: Taichi Yagami, Yamato Ishida, Hikari Yagami, Jyou Kido, Michael and Mimi Barton were among the few that were able to accept the antibody into their systems. They had the cure to this disease, and they kept it to themselves! They became corrupt, and they ignored the suffering of the Digital World! They had made their decision, and it was perfectly clear, I would be the savior of this world._

_            However, devils appeared. They announced themselves as the Demon Lords: Karetu and Beelzebumon, Enk and Belphemon, Amikyo and Leviamon, Shiokuro and Barbamon, Asro and Lilithmon, Seiduka and Demon and Cahiti and Lucemon. Each Demon Lord was also a doppelganger of deceased Chosen: Karetu-Takeru, Enk-Ken, Amiyko-Miyako, Shiokuro-Koushiro, Seiduka-Daisuke, or Chosen that had died once and then been revived shortly after: Asro-Sora, Cahiti-Taichi. _

_These lords of evil began to attack various young women around the globe, awakening power within them, power they received from the legendary First Chosen, as they were their granddaughters, the Daughters of the First. Lynna Jeffry of Water, granddaughter of Amanda Chailyn, known as Kendra, Maria Silvano of Earth, granddaughter of Adelio Monteng, known as Montenagro, Keeya Genet of Forest, granddaughter of Alem Genet, known as Abungu, Iduia Ramiro of Metal, granddaughter of Zorion Ramiro, known as Glaucio, Anna Danika of Wind, granddaughter of Zilya Mischa, known as Svetlana, Noriko Kawada of Darkness, granddaughter of Fai Shan, known as Daiyu, Catherine Rupert of Light, granddaughter of Duval Rupert, known as Lucien, and Sora Takenouchi of Fire, granddaughter of Jiro Kaji, known as Hidokoro. The leader of the First Chosen, was the Hero-King, my grandfather, Haruki Makato, known as Yuushi._

_            The Digital God revealed these events to me, and tasked me to recover the lost treasures of the First Chosen: the Staff of Yuushi and the Machina Codex. The First Chosen had a tremendous empire as their enemies, the Empire of Cer, and when that evil beast toppled the First Chosen's empire, the Emperor, Murmixmon, brought those artifacts back with him to his capital, Ceria. That city was located far in the north of the Eastern Continent, known in this age as Nightsun. I had to acquire that city, it was what the Digital God commanded._

_            However, Taichi Yagami, Yamato Ishida, and their X-Chosen opposed me. Their army battled my divine warriors outside the city walls. Inside the walls, the X-Chosen were facing the Demon Lords themselves. When the X-Chosen were close to death, the Daughters of the First gave them their powers. This was the moment Cahiti had been waiting for. He used the ancient device, Soul Catcher, to steal the energy of the First Chosen, all except for Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert. In response, they were captured and taken to the temple of the Demon Lords. Taichi and Hikari Yagami, Yamato Ishida, Jyou Kido, Michael and Mimi Barton were then given the ability to evolve their partners to the Fully Evolved level._

_            I was given that power when I aquired the Staff of Yuushi from beneath Nightsun. Ishida stole the Machina Codex from me and fled to Earth. I responded by invading the city of Tokyo to reclaim that book. During that encounter, Yuuko Yagami, the mother of Taichi and Hikari, was injured in that battle and sent into a coma. I was certain that Taichi swore revenge, I was certain that he would come to seek retribution from me on the Center Island, the ancient capital of the First Chosen's empire. _

_            He did not, and I thought it would be best to come and make peace with the injured woman. When Taichi and I were brought together once more, we discovered that Yuuko Yagami was the older sister of Kumiko Seisou, my mother. That meant that Taichi and I were cousins, he and Hikari too, shared the Blood of Yuushi. When I returned to the Center Island, I was distraught and confused. My priestess, Tatum, brought Sam and Vicente to Earth to attack Taichi, but Mimi halted their journey. They were killed during that encounter. Their deaths still way heavy on my heart., _

_The Chosen Council, the de-facto rulers of the Digital World, began an extermination policy against the Infected Chosen. They had as their partners the Demon Lords. These…monsters, the worst of humanity, became the puppets of the lords of evil, and they were used to play the emotions of the X-Chosen and the captured Sora Takenouchi and Catherine Rupert. Their deception eventually proved successfully, as, during a battle against the Demon Lord Enk, Taichi, Hikari and Jyou were severely injured. Catherine and Sora attempted to give them their power, but Cahiti was ready, he once again used the Soul Catcher to steal the last two energies he needed. Now, with full power, he came to take the Island of the Center away from me._

_            They invaded and overran us. We were helpless. My __Juukeitei, my male cousin, Taichi, arrived. He and the X-Chosen destroyed the remaining Demon Lords and freed Takenouchi and Rupert, but it was too late. Cahiti used the combined powers of the Daughters of the First to destroy the Digital World. _

_            But all is not lost! The Digital God is calling me to him! In the destruction of the former Digital World, a new world is being born, one where only the true believers will thrive! Salvation is ours!_

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Shadows:_

_Chapter 1_

            The Digital World is dead. May it rest in peace.

            It was created in an unknown coagulation of data and extra-dimensional space. In a place outside this universe, packets of data collected and merged together, slowly creating a world, a world of wonder and magic. This Digital World found itself overrun with evil numerous times, and three times it called humans to her aide. The first was to battle the threat of the Empire of Cer, the next was to fight the Dark Masters and their pawns, and the last was to counter the Digimon Kaiser. Since the third calling, the Digital World has been open to any and all who hold Digivices, the Chosen Children. Although they are not 'Children' any longer, and the Digital World exists no more.

111

            When Sora saw her bedroom, she gave a sigh of happiness and almost collapsed onto her bed. It was only when she remembered that she had not showered in at least a week that kept her on her remaining foot. Her hair was scraggily and covered with dirt, Her face was smeared with blood and tears, her dress was no longer bright blue but a dull, pale color. She used her new crutches and hobbled into the bathroom. She had to peel the clothes from her body as they had become a second skin. It was then with some reluctance that she turned to her bandages.

            She removed the dirty and filthy bandages from her lower leg. She had been holding her breath, but when she saw that the infection that had taken her lower left leg, had stopped its devouring of her body. The Second Black Death had stopped. She eagerly tore the bandage from her face in order to examine her eye. Her excitement soon faded. She had lost the ability to see from that eye days ago, and with the bandage wrapped around her head, she really could not know…BD-2 had eaten away at her entire eye. It was completely gone, leaving only an empty socket. The skin around it had begun to turn red as well, the first sign of a Second Black Death infection.

            She shook her head quickly, forcing any dark thoughts from her mind. She was going out, and she would not let him see her in such a filthy state. She stepped into the shower and allowed the water to flow over her well-toned body. She could have stayed forever in that soothing water, but she knew that others were expecting her. She reluctantly turned the water off and hobbled out.

            After drying and dressing herself in another sleeveless dress to better manage the summer heat, she dressed her infected wounds and she and Piyomon made their way across the city. It took all she had to keep from falling fast asleep on the train ride. After climbing the stairs on her crutches, she was never more happy to see the door to the Yagami apartment. She knocked twice and nearly fell into Hikari's arms.

            "Sora!" she gasped.

            "I'm…just kind of tired," she explained, stepping inside.

            The younger woman frowned. "You should have been at your home resting."

            "I couldn't," she said, "I need to be by his side."

            Hikari smiled warmly. "Well, then the _both_ of you can rest."

            The redhead blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

            Hikari smiled and led her into Taichi's bedroom, where her older brother was snoring loudly on his bed. "He's pretty exhausted too. Agumon as well.." She mentioned to the floor, where Agumon X was sleeping in his own bed. Piyomon waddled to his side.

            "What's wrong with them?" Sora asked.

            "Because when he and Yamato fought Cahiti, they merged with Agumon X and Gabumon X. Jyou thinks that takes a lot of energy from them. I just got off the phone with Noriko, she said Yamato's fine, but he's fast asleep too."

            Sora stared at Taichi's face and smiled. "He looks so cute when he's asleep."

            "That's the only time he looks cute…" she muttered. She smiled again, "I'm sorry to leave so soon, but I have to get to work."

            "Work?" Sora asked, "It's after twelve…"

            "I know, but I've missed too many days already, and I have a ton of paperwork to grade. I'll be back late tonight. Maria's in the guest room, and Plotmon's probably going to be watching t.v. all day, so if you need anything…"

            The redhead nodded. "Okay."

            Hikari slowly closed the door, "I'll see you later tonight."

            "Bye." Sora turned her attention to Piyomon, but found that she was already asleep next to Agumon X. The young woman shrugged and slid onto the bed next to Taichi. She placed her hand around his head and gently brushed the hair from his face. She kissed him lightly on the forehead, then slowly closed her eyes.

111

            Michael opened his eyes, but had to blink for a moment, taking in the scene before him. He had to blink for a moment before he remembered he was. After fleeing the destruction of the Digital World, he and Mimi had decided to spend the night in Tokyo. They could have stayed with Mimi's parents, but that was too small an apartment, so they decided to rent a hotel room for the evening.

            He stretched his arms over his head, then felt a hand on his chest. He turned and saw Mimi lying next to him, grinning wildly. "Good morning."

            "Morning," he replied.

            She kissed her husband on the check, before rising to her feet. She threw a robe over her revealing lingerie. "So, where do you want to eat this morning?"

            He was about to respond, when Mimi's cell phone began to ring. She searched through her purse before locating it. "Hello? Taichi, how are you feeling?...Yeah, okay…um, sure, bye."

            "What?" Michael asked.

            "We've got to meet with Taichi later today. Something really important has come up."

111

            Yamato slowly awoke to the scent of a heavenly aroma. He sniffed the air, trying to place that scent. He could not. He struggled to sit up, and his back hit the headboard. He looked over the edge and saw Gabumon X sleeping peacefully in his own, smaller bed He did not want to wake him, but since he was beginning to worry, he reluctantly began to remove his sheets.

            The door suddenly opened and a young woman with short black hair and carrying a tray full of food entered. "Rise and shine!"

            Yamato blinked. "Noriko?"

            She giggled. "I made you breakfast."

            "Why don't we just eat at the kitchen table?"

            "You're still very weak from your battle and your fusion evolution," she explained, "We're gonna give you breakfast here."

            "We?" he asked.

            Noriko mentioned to the floor, where her Plotmon was using her head to push a small cart of food over to Gabumon X's bed. The X-digimon had awoken, and was now struggling to get to a seated position.

            Yamato looked back to Noriko, who was placing the tray on the nightstand. He glanced at the table and saw a variety of breads and buns, each one giving off an aroma that caused his mouth to water. "W…what are we having?"

            "Just some Northern Chinese breakfast food," she explained. She pointed to the steamed buns, from which Yamato could smell meat and vegetables, "That's _Baozi_…" She mentioned to a plate that contained strips of fried dough, "That's _Youtiao_…." She mentioned to two pitchers, "This is _Dou jiang,_ what you call soy milk, and tea."

            Gabumon X chuckled as he surveyed his own small tray which Plotmon had given him. "This looks delicious, thank you."

            "_Bonjour! Bonjour!"_

            Noriko frowned as she turned to the door and saw a woman with curly blond hair and carrying a large paper bag stepped inside. "Yamato, how are you feeling…?" Her smile faded when she saw Noriko. "Oh, good morning."

            "What are you doing here?" the Chinese/Japanese woman asked.

            Catherine removed her blond wig and placed the paper bag on another cart that Floramon had rolled in. She began to pull items from the bag and set them on the table. Most of them were wrapped in white paper. "What do you have there?" Yamato asked.

            "Breakfast," she grinned, "I had to zearch all morning before I found a bakery zat sold zese items. It was actually a bakery built into ze hotel a few blocks away."

            "We don't typically eat European breakfasts," Noriko glared.

            The French woman ignored her as she poured a steaming liquid from a tall pitcher into two bowls. She placed them onto plates consisting of a bread that was cut thin and spread with jam, as well as bread they recognized as croissants. She gave one tray to Floramon, who brought it over to Gabumon X. Catherine carried the other tray and lightly pushed Noriko out of the way as she placed her tray onto the nightstand. She glared at the food on the other tray. "What iz zis?"

            "The food I made for him!" Noriko said.

            Catherine rolled her eyes. "Oh, zo you measure your worth by ze food you make?"

            She frowned. "At least's it better then measuring your worth through your looks!"

            The French woman chuckled. "What can I zay? I don't have red spots over my skin!"

            Noriko glanced down at her arms, where the BD-2 had begun to eat away at sections of her skin, resulting in large red splotches all over her body. "Well, at least I still have my hair!"

            Both young women growled at one another, their eyes narrowed in rage. "You two should really calm down."

            They turned to Yamato, and their rage melted into awe. The blond man had succeeded in devouring the food that both Noriko and Catherine had given him. "Y…you ate everything?" Noriko asked.

            Catherine smiled. "Z…zat is okay, I…I am on diet anyway…"

            Yamato yawned loudly.

            "We really better let you get some more rest," Noriko said.

            "_Oui_," Catherine smiled, "Come Floramon."

            The young women and their partners exited the room, closing the door behind them. "Yamato?" Gabumon X asked.

            "What?"

            "I think they're both in love with you."

            "Yeah, I know…"

            "What are you going to do?"

            "What about you?" he asked, "I saw the way Plotmon and Floramon were eyeing you."

            Gabumon X sighed. "Maybe we should just sneak out before they come back."

            Yamato chuckled, "I bet they're guarding the door and their digimon are probably hanging outside the window."

            "Yeah, probably."

            "Let's just get some sleep; I've got the feeling things are going to get bad again real soon."

            He closed his eyes, but was awakened when he heard his cell phone ring. He groaned and reached for it. When he saw who it was from, he quickly placed it to his ear. "Taichi? What's up?"

111

            "Hey, Jyou, there's someone here to see you."

            The young man glanced up from where he had been reading from a medical book in the lounge area of the hospital. "What?"

            The nurse smiled slightly. "There's a young woman here to see you."

            Jyou's face lit up. "Really?" He jumped off of the couch and quickly walked into the main lobby, where a familiar young woman was standing. "Iduia?"

            The Brazilian woman nodded. "Good…day…Jyou…How…are…you?"

            "I'm fine, what can I help you with?"

            She hesitated for a moment. "I have…been…feeling…ili…worse…then…usual"

            Jyou rubbed his chin. "Keeya wasn't feeling too well either, neither was Maria…"

            "They…weren't?" Iduia said, "What…does…that…mean?"

            He sighed. "I examined Maria and Keeya, and I think I might know what is wrong…"

            "What?"

            "Well, I believe that the energy you and the others displayed, you're, uh…power, is keeping the Second Black Death at bay, but the more you use that power, the virus can progress faster."

            Iduia nodded. "We…should…not… use…our…energy…"

            He nodded. "Yeah…or else the virus might suddenly overwhelm your system and…"

            The Brazilian woman nodded somberly. "Yes…I…understand…"

            There was an uncomfortable silence until Jyou's phone began to ring. "Excuse me," he said. He placed the device to his head. "Hello….really? Yeah…sure." He turned back to Iduia.

            "We've got to meet up at Taichi's apartment later," he said, "There's someone there that he wants us to meet."

            "Um…okay…

111

            Taichi groaned as he opened his eyes and felt sunlight stream onto his face. "Who left that window shade open?" he asked as he slowly sat up in bed. As he did, he saw Sora lying next to him. He was about to call out to her, but stopped when he realized that she was sound asleep, her eyes closed softly and her mouth slightly open. He smiled slightly and kissed her lightly on the cheek. He then climbed out of bed, careful not to step on Agumon X, who had Piyomon curled up next to him.

            He stumbled into the hall and made his way to the kitchen. He blinked in surprise when he saw that the table was full of a variety of food. Maria and her Patamon were still setting the table, the latter using his ears to hover in the air, and the former maneuvering quite well in her wheelchair. She smiled when she saw him. "Oh, good afternoon."

            "Afternoon?" he asked.

            She grinned. "It's after 12, but I made certain to make plenty of food for Sora and Piyomon as well."

            "Oh…thank you," he smiled.

            Before she could respond,  they heard a throat-wrenching scream from Taichi's room. The young man charged down the hall and dove inside. Sora was sitting up in the bed, panting loudly. Piyomon and Agumon X were next to her. Taichi pushed past them and sat beside her. "Sora?"

            She twirled to him; her face was a shade of white. She fell onto him, squeezing him tightly. "Taichi!"

            "What?" he shouted, "What?"

            "I…I had another dream!"

            "Another dream?"

            "She had one when we were in the Demon Lords' prison cell," Piyomon explained, "Catherine said she was the second messenger."

            Taichi grabbed Sora's crutches and handed them to her. She used them to walk into the kitchen, where Maria handed her a cup of tea. "Here, I think this will help."

            The redhead smiled in return. Taichi waited until she had calmed enough before speaking to her. "Sora, what did you see?"

            She took a deep breath. "I saw a giant red dragon. He was battling three...creatures. I couldn't see too clearly…but…they…" She turned to him, "They looked like angels…"

            "Angels?" Maria asked.

            She nodded.

            The Latino woman smiled. "Well, if they were angels, then it's nothing to be afraid of, right?" she suggested, trying to reassure the older woman.

            Sora took a deep breath before continuing. "There were more angels then just those three, and that red dragon had….hideous…terrible creatures with him. They were fighting, it was a war. But those three angels were fighting the dragon. But….but it looked like they won, because they were sending out these…these energy waves or something into that dragon. It looked like lightning bolts or something. Those energy bolts…they surrounded the dragon and trapped him in…in some kind of circle or something. But they kept sending those energy waves out, and they began to…what's the word…orbit! They started to orbit that trapped dragon….an angel in white, an angel in gray, and an angel in black."

            Taichi waited for a moment. "Is that all?"

            She nodded. "Yeah. It was…it was so real, it was like I was there…" She turned to the young man. "Taichi, what does it mean?"

            He slowly shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know…"

            There was a fierce knock on the door. They glanced at one another for a moment before Taichi walked over to open it. Standing in the hall was a familiar Indian woman.

            "Mina!" he gasped.

            She bowed. "Hello, Taichi Yagami."

            "W…what are you doing in Tokyo?"

            "I have information that is of the essence. You must gather your X-Chosen at once!"

111

            Across the Pacific Ocean, in the United States of America city of Los Angeles, more specifically, West L.A., the remaining members of the Digitalatri, sat within a decrepit and run-down hotel room. It did not appear to have been clean for ages. It was not a place to stay for long, which was just fine for the small group.

            Miayag sat in a wooden chair and stared through the window at the morning sun. The other members were seated in the rear of the room, staring at her. James and Takashi were seated on chairs, while Hiroshi and Keiko were lying on the bed. Their digimon partners had regressed to their Child-forms, and were sleeping on the floor. "How long are we going to be here?" Takashi asked.

             "As long as we need to be," Keiko scowled him, "Lady Miayag will determine our departure time."

            The younger man stared at her. "You're starting to sound like Tatum did."

            The older woman was about to yell, but Hiroshi placed his hand in front of her, silencing them. He mentioned to their leader, who was rising to her feet. She turned to them, a smile on her face.

            "What is it?" James asked.

            "The Digital God has revealed His will to me," she grinned, "The true heart of the Digital World yet exists, and that is where He resides. We are not bidden to enter His realm, where our reward will be delivered upon us. Come, we must locate a Digital Gate at once!"

111

            Hikari was the last to receive Taichi's message, but she would not be able to leave her job until after five. After her travel home through the thick traffic, it was around six. "I'm sorry I'm late," she apologized as she entered her apartment, "There was a problem or something on the subway, and I…" She trailed off when she saw an Indian woman in the corner. "Mina!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh, I'm so happy to see that you're okay!"

            She grinned and returned the embrace. "Hikari," Taichi said, gently pulling her back, "Mina has something very important to tell us."

            The Indian woman nodded. "Yes. And as you know, I run a school for new Chosen, and we have been keeping constant watch over the Digital World. And you are also aware, that this world has been destroyed."

            They all somberly looked to the ground.

            "I have more news," Mina continued, "There appears to still be a signal being transmitted."

            "That means the Digital World's still there?" Agumon X asked hopefully.

            Mina shook her head slowly. "No, I'm afraid that is not the case. There is something else there, where there was once the Digital World. It is much smaller, almost as if it could be the core of the planet itself. But, this could just be the gravitational data from the three moons."

            "How likely is that?" Taichi asked.

            "Very possible, but I do not believe it to be very probable." She hesitated for a moment. "Also, this area appears to be very barren, and we were able to receive digivice signals…"

            "How can that be?" Noriko asked, "I thought it was impossible to pick out one signal…"

            "That was only because of the massive amount of Chosen in the Digital World," the Indian woman explained, "But now that there are not any digivices…"

            "What signals?" Taichi asked.

            "Signals that match: Metalseadramon, Mugen Dramon, Pinocchimon, Piedmon, and Witchmon."

            "Digitalatri!" Hikari asked.

            "Is there an atmosphere there?" Jyou asked.

            Mina nodded. "As far as we can tell."

            The bushy-haired young man glanced over at Yamato. "I guess we could check it out."

            "Are you sure?" Sora asked, "You still need to rest."

            "We're fine," Taichi smiled, "Right guys?" Yamato, and their digimon partners nodded.

            Michael raised his head. "It's probably gonna be very dangerous…"

            Jyou frowned. "Knowing us it always is."

            "Fine," Sora said, standing up and leaning on her crutches, "When do we leave?"

            "You can't!" Taichi spurted out.

            "Why not?" she asked.

            "It's going to be really dangerous…"

            She turned her head away. "Oh, so you don't think Piyomon and I can handle ourselves?"

            "She's right," Noriko said, "How come we always have to stay behind?"

            "Because you're too important," Yamato said, "To the Digital World…and…and to us…"

            The other Daughters were going to protest, but Taichi raised his hand. "Please, if anything happened to any of you…"

            Sora stared at him for a moment, then her face softened. "Okay, Taichi, if that's what you want…"

            Noriko stared at her. "You're not serious!"

            The redhead gave her a quick glare. The younger woman frowned and turned away. "All right."

            "Thank you," Yamato said.

            Taichi turned to the X-Chosen. "But _you_ guys aren't off the hook…"

            "Damn," Mimi said. She then smiled, "All right, when are we leaving?"

111

            It was Friday, so Hikari did not need to worry about missing any more days from work, and Jyou had break between his internship, so the X-Chosen were all assembled. They used the coordinates that Mina had given them and traveled through the Digital Gate, arriving at their destination. As the light faded, their eyes saw a sight that caused each and every one of them to gasp in surprise. They did not know what to expect, but they assumed that it would be an area covered with the remains of the Digital World, rock, water, lava, however, what they saw, was starkly different.

            Spread out before them was lush garden, covered with a rainbow of large, exotic plants of all sizes and types. There was a yellow, dirt road before them, stretching to a castle far in the distance. High above them was a bright blue sky, with the perfect amount of clouds, and bright sun beams shining down. A waterfall could be heard in the distance, as well as birds chirping.

            "Is this the right place?" Mimi finally asked, "It can't be…right?"

            Yuri looked at his digivice. "No, this is the correct coordinates."

            Dingo blinked a few times. "I'm seein' things, right?"

            Taichi strained his eyes to see the castle in the distance. "We might as well head that way."

            "Fine with us," Agumon X frowned, "Not like there's anywhere else to go."

            As they began to walk down the dirt path, Palmon X looked over her shoulder. The blue atmosphere had mysteriously slopped down to the ground, ending it abruptly. She followed the slope back up and around. She could clearly see that it was a small dome. "We're in a giant ball!" she exclaimed.

            "The Digital World was a giant ball too," Betamon X replied, "All planets are giant balls…"

            She glared at him, "I mean we're in a _smaller_ ball them, okay?"

            "This might be the Digital World's core," Michael suggested, "Just like Mina said."

            "And Digitalatri came here…" Taichi said, "I wonder why…."

            Hikari stared at him. "You're wondering about Miayag, aren't you?"

            He flinched. "Look, I'm sorry about not telling about her being our cousin, alright? I apologize a million times already."

            She frowned. "I'm still really upset at you about that, but I don't think now's the time."

            "I still can't believe it," Plotmon X said, "She's your cousin. That's so weird."

            "Yeah, it is," Hikari said, "I never even met Aunt Kumiko."

            "I did a few times," Taichi said, "I don't really remember her though."

            "I wonder if it's not too late to save her," his sister said.

            Taichi frowned, but did not respond. The other Chosen decided to keep silent; they wanted to help, but they also knew it was a family matter. They would not interfere unless they asked for advice or help.

            The rest of the journey was made in silence. Before long they trekked the distance of the dirt road and arrived at the castle. They had to strain their necks to see to the top of the elegantly designed building. Sharp towers were jutting into the blue sky, white pant adorned the outer walls. There was even a deep moat of water flowing around the circumference, so wide it could have easily been mistaken for a river.

            "This is beautiful!" Mimi gasped.

            "So any idea who lives here?" Jyou asked.

            Yamato mentioned to a drawbridge, leading to an open gateway. "Why don't we find out?"

            They crossed the drawbridge and entered into a large, dark hallway; there was nothing to decorate the passage, only dark bricks that stretched into nothingness. "The outside was so pretty," Mimi pouted.

            "It figures those Digitalatri creeps'd be here…" Dingo muttered.

            "Just pay attention," Taichi said, "The dark corridors make it easy for someone to ambush us. We'd never see it coming."

            Yamato smiled slightly. Taichi had matured and had become a truly leader. It was a shame that he could not become the Chosen general that he had no doubt wished he could become so long ago. If Taichi had not come back to help them, who knows if they would have even survived the first attack from the Demon Lords?

            Hikari stopped walking forward and she shivered so fiercely that she had to hug herself. "Is something wrong?" Plotmon X asked.

            She nodded. "Didn't it just get colder in here?"

            The others glanced at each other. "No," Yuri said, "It has to be at least 40 degrees…"

            Taichi stared at his younger sister. "Taichi?" Agumon X asked.

            "You guys don't realize this," Taichi said, "But remember, Hikari's…got a sixth sense or something. If she suddenly got cold…"

            Yamato nodded. "Then something's here."

            "But…"Hikari protested, "I never felt this way around the Digitalatri before…"

            "Then they're not alone…" Taichi said.

            Each of the X-Chosen and their digimon partners felt a cold chill up their spines. Mimi glanced around. "You mean…the Digital God? He's real?"

            "Be very careful," Taichi said, "We have no idea…

            He was not able to finish his thought, as a dark mist suddenly erupted around them. They felt the floor give way and they fell into a open void. They struggled to grab hold of one another, but the dark mist separated them.

111

            Jyou blinked his eyes a few times and discovered that he was floating in a massive lake of water, trapped within an even larger room. He was on his back, so he flipped over onto his stomach and glanced around. Dingo and their digimon partners were floating a few feet away.

            "Dingo!" he shouted, swimming towards them, "Ganimon! Gomamon!

            They groaned loudly and opened their eyes.  "What the hell just happened?" Ganimon X asked.

            Before anyone could respond, the water began to rise into a giant geyser. The water parted as a giant metallic serpent rose into the air, with a blond human on his back. "You're with Digitalatri!" Jyou shouted.

            The human nodded. "My name is James Masters, and this is my partner, Metalseadramon."

            "What are you doin' here?" Dingo demanded.

            "I am guarding this castle, and you are not welcome here."

            "So, Miayag's here?" Jyou asked.

            "Lady Miayag is currently seated at the side of the Digital God."

            "Here?" Jyou gasped, "The Digital God is here?!"

            "That is correct," he replied.

            Dingo and Jyou glanced at one another curiously. "Does He really exist?" Ganimon X.

            Gomamon X smirked. "Nah, I think they're all nuts!"

            James crossed his arms as geysers of water began to erupt around the massive moat, sending streams of water raining down upon them. "You will discover that He does indeed exist, when I bring you before Him in chains! All of you heathens!"

            "Wait a second!" Dingo shouted, raising his hand, "Now, maybe I haven't known the Odaiba Chosen all that long, but let me tell ya somethin'…" He pointed at Jyou, "They're some of the coolest, kick-ass guys I've ever met! So, I think what you're sayin' is nothin' but bullshit! You got a disease, yeah I'm sorry for ya, but that doesn't mean ya' can turn against the world! Jus' cause we don't believe everythin' ya do doesn't mean anythin' except that we don' believe everythin' ya do! Now, why don't ya stop blaming everyone else for problems they didn't cause! Get outta our way, or we're gonna make you move!"

            Everyone blinked in awe. "Dingo…" Dingo said.

            The Australian man shrugged slightly. "Yeah…well…that's been buildin' for a while…."

            James's Metalseadramon began to roar as he stretched to the sky. "Evolve, quick!" Jyou shouted. Gomamon X and Ganimon X evolved to their highest forms, the Fully Evolved Anomalocarimon X and Gesomon X. The two humans leapt onto their partners' backs and held tightly.

            Metalseadramon's flat nose began to glow a bright blue. "Ultimate Stream!" The blast of laser light struck the water, exploding beneath it. Water was sent cascading in every direction, only the fact that both Anomalocarimon X and Gesomon X were Deep Savors saved them from becoming trapped in the torrent.

            Anomalocarimon X shot up out of the swirling water and placed his front pincers together. "Twin Blade!" he threw his claws apart, sending a twin beam of energy at the metallic serpent. A geyser of water suddenly erupted in front of him, effectively blocking the attack.

            "It is useless," James chuckled, "Our power has been greatly increased by the might of the Digital God. You are doomed!"

111

            Yamato and Michael had found themselves in a room with a giant domed ceiling. "What the hell's going on?" Michael demanded.

            "I don't know," Yamato responded, walking forward, "Just be careful."

            The ground suddenly began to shake violently. The small group attempted to remain on their feet as best they could, but were soon thrown to the ground. They were tossed and flipped, and they struggled to remain in one spot. They ground soon ceased it violent shaking, and they jumped back to their feet. They turned around and saw a massive, bipedal metallic dragon standing before them. There was a teenaged boy on his back.

            "Takashi and Mugen Dramon!" Yamato gasped.

            Michael stared at Yamato, then at the teenage boy, then back at Yamato. "He's one of the ones you trained, right?"

             "Yeah," the blond man said, narrowing his eyes, "And then he betrayed us."

            "You left us to die!" Takashi shouted.

            "Why do you keep saying that?" Yamato shouted, "We never, not once, left you!"

            "Once you were modified by the X-Antibody, you just went on with your life, and left me, Hiroshi, Keiko…you just left us in the Digital World to die….you even took Noriko away from us…."

            Yamato clenched his fists. "As I remember it, we rescued Noriko because _you_ were about to kill her!"

            "You stole her from us! Why…why did she choose you?! We were her friends!" He turned his head away, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "_We_ were the ones that suffered with her….what the hell does she see in you?!"

            The blond man could only stare at him. "Takashi…what are you saying?"

            He twisted his head and stared at the ground.. "Me, Noriko, Keiko, Hiroshi, we met when Oikawa forced that Dark Spore into our bodies! After we got over that, we had a lot of guilt to deal with. And we helped each other over come that. Even when we were all infected with BD-2, we were there to support each other! We were family…closer then that. I guess what I'm saying is…" He clenched his fists and screamed, "Give me back my sister!"

            "She chose this side!" Michael shouted, "Probably because she didn't want to waste her life in a cult!"

            Takashi's awe-struck face twisted into a snarl. "We were ordered to bring you to the throne of the Digital God, Mugen Dramon, let's get started."

            The metal dragon roared loudly, causing the walls of the giant room to shake slightly. Yamato grabbed his X-digivice. "All right, let's show him that we don't go down easily!"

            "Wait!" Michael shouted, "You can't evolve all the way, it made you so weak before…"

            The blond man grumbled. "All right…Gabumon, we'll have to take him down at Fully Evolved."

            His partner nodded. Michael's partner stood by his side and both evolved, Betamon X to Megaseadramon X and Gabumon X to Weregarurumon X. Mugen Dramon chuckled in a deep metallic voice. "You'd better go higher if you want to defeat me."

            Weregarurumon X chuckled. "I've defeated Demon Lords in this form, you're nothing compared to them."

            Mugen Dramon began to laugh, and he lifted his massive foot into the air, held it for a moment, before slamming it back into the ground. The entire room shook so violently that the two X-Chosen began to bounce and shake, throwing them about. Weregarurumon X executed his hands for his Kaizer Nail attack, and blasted it into Mugen Dramon's side. The dragon's claws suddenly grew to tremendous length, heading straight for his enemies. The wolf and the serpent pushed their partners to the floor, leaving them with only seconds to spare to leap to safety before being skewered by the sharp blades.

            "How did you do that?" Weregarurumon X, "You never had that attack before!"

            "The Digital God," Takashi grinned, "He has increased our powers, so that we can destroy you once and for all!"

111

            Hikari and Mimi had arrived in a ballroom-type setting, with a floor made of a material similar to glass. There were no windows of any kind, and a balcony overlooking the floor. "Where are we?" Palmon X asked.

            "I don't know," Mimi said, "We all got separated from that weird mist…"

            Hikari looked around, then noticed a passage on the far side of the room. "There."

            They began to walk, but as soon as they stepped into the center of the floor, a spotlight suddenly appeared around them. They jumped into a circled, their backs against each other as they surveyed the room. Once they determined that a threat was not coming from the walls, they turned to the balcony. There, they saw two familiar figures: one was a slightly overweight young woman and small digimon comprised of wood holding a hammer.

            "Keiko!" Hikari and Mimi shouted.

            "Pinocchimon!" Plotmon X and Palmon X exclaimed.

            The slightly overweight woman smirked. "Well, look what we have here, a bunch of self-absorbed beauty queens!"

            "What do you mean by that?" Hikari shouted.

            "Yeah, come on," Mimi said, "Why do all of you hate us so much? You think we just left you to die? That isn't true at all!"

            Keiko smirked. "Regardless of our feelings towards you, we have been ordered by the Digital God to kill you all."

            "The Digital God?" Hikari gasped, "So…that's who I felt…"

            Mimi raised an eyebrow. "And who is the Digital God, huh? What is his name?"

            "That you will never know," Pinocchimon chuckled.

            "He's right," Keiko answered, "The holy name of the Digital God shall never be uttered by you heathens…"

            Mimi growled. "I'm getting so tired of you calling us that!"

            "Then why don't you do something about it…" she chuckled. She grabbed hold of Pinocchimon, and the two of them jumped off of the balcony.

            "Here they come!" Palmon X shouted.

            "Evolve!" Hikari ordered, "Now!"

            Plotmon X and Palmon X quickly evolved to their Fully Evolved forms, Nefterimon X and Lillymon X. They readied themselves to attack, but before they could, Pinocchimon began to fire balls of energy from his mallet. "Bullet Hammer!"

            Both X-Digimon were hit in the chest and thrown backwards. "Nefertimon!" Hikari cried.

            "He's gotten stronger," the angel digimon said, "Much stronger."

            "The power of the Digital God," Pinocchimon chuckled, "Feel His wrath!"

111

            Taichi, Yuri, and their partners had not arrived in a room, but were walking through a large hallway.  "I wonder where the others are," Yuri said.

            "They could probably be anywhere," Taichi said.

            "I wonder where _we_ are," Agumon X said, glancing around, "It looks like some kind of tunnel or something…"

            They continued on until they had arrived in a room, a very spacious room containing what appeared to be mountains. Had this been Earth, they would have assumed it to be fake, but the Digital World….they could very well be real mountains. Standing the midst of those mountains, were two figures: Hiroshi and Piedmon.

            The human male crossed his arms. "So, we meet again Taichi Yagami."

            The X-Chosen's eyes opened wide. "Y…you spoke!" Taichi gasped.

            He grinned. "Yes, that is correct. I have been healed by the power of the Digital God."

            "The Digital God?" Yuri asked, "The god that you worship? He is here?"

            The Digitalatri general nodded. "Yes."

            Taichi narrowed his eyes. "Where's Miayag? Is she here too?"

            His grin faded. "Lady Miayag is currently in conference with the lone God of the Digital World."

            "And when do we get to see him?" Taichi asked.

            Piedmon growled. "You will never see the radiance of the Digital God!"

            Taichi turned to Agumon X and grinned. "I think we'd like to meet him."

            "You will see Him," Hiroshi said, "When I bring your lifeless carcass to His feet!"

            Piedmon unsheathed his swords and charged forward. Agumon X evolved to Metalgreymon X and Kokuwamon X evolved to Kuwagamon X. The metal dinosaur swung his claw into the clown digimon, but the Mega was able to block with his sword, the blade caught between his two claws. The two digimon were engaged in a power struggle for the merest of moments before Piedmon was able to throw him back.

            Taichi gasped. "What…?"

            "You will not defeat us," Hiroshi grinned, "Our power has been greatly increased by the divine will of the Digital God."

            Yuri and Taichi stared in horror. "That is right," the Digitalatri general chuckled, "And you will see the God of the Digital World, on your way to the afterlife!"

111

            In a distinct and different area of the castle, Miayag and Witchmon were bowing before a truly magnificent figure, a great figure with a halo of extreme yellow light flowing from him in all directions, light of radiance, light of power, light of peace. The figure may have been obscured by blue clouds, the light may have been in her eyes, but Miayag and Witchmon still bowed before his divine presence.

            "Holy Lord," she said, "My remaining Digitalatri soldiers are engaging those heathen X-Chosen. They will soon face defeat and death at our hands." She hesitated a moment. "My Lord, I…I have faithfully served you all through all these endeavors you have tasked me, and now, I…I wish to ask you…is…is it possible to spare Taichi and Hikari Yagami? They…they know not what they do. If given the chance to convert, I am sure they will praise they holy name…"

            The figure did not respond.

            "Yes," Miayag said, shaking her head, "I…I am sorry. I do not know what had come over me. All heathens to your name shall be vanquished."

111

            On the bottom floor of the castle, the water battle continued. Jyou and Dingo floated in the giant lake as far from the conflict as they could, but the constant bobbing and waving of the water did not make it easy.

            James stood calmly on the head of Metalseadramon as the serpent's flat nose began to glow. "Ultimate Stream!"

            The blast of energy exploded from his nose and shot towards the two X-digimon. Anomalocarimon X executed his Tail Blade attack in an effort to block Metalseadramon's attack. However, the bladed energy simply deflected the beam into multiple pieces, deflecting off the walls. Everyone ducked for cover into the beams smashed into the water.

            "Don't do that again!" Jyou shouted.

            Metalseadramon readied to fire another Ultimate Stream, but Gesomon X shot one of his elastic arms into the serpent's face. The metal digimon ceased his attack, but used his teeth to grab onto the arm and bite as hard as he could.

            "Gesomon!" Dingo shouted.

            The squid struggled to free himself, but swung his other arm around and managed to smack the serpent. He released his grip, but whipped his tail around and smacked the squid in the back. Gesomon X twisted around as he fell forward and spewed out a stream of black ink, striking the serpent in the head. His face was covered with sludge, and James's legs were covered as well. Anomalocarimon X was not going to let the opportunity pass him by. He executed his Tail Blade attack again, this time striking the serpent in the underside of the chin. James held on with dear life.

            "You bastard!" he shouted, "Metalseadramon, kill them now!"

            The human held tightly as the serpent shot beneath the water, only to emerge a second later, nearly clean of the sludge, and a very angry glare in his eyes. Both X-digimon had lost sight of the rest of the serpent, so they did not notice his tail whip around and pull them into a constricting squeeze. "Hell Squeeze!"

            "Gesomon!" Dingo shouted.

            "Anomalocarimon!" Jyou shouted.

            The X-digimon struggled as best they could, but the serpent's squeeze was like a metal vice. Gesomon X managed to slip his elastic tentacles down into the water and around the metal body, up to the serpent's face. He was able to achieve one good punch before the serpent once again smashed his sharp teeth into his tentacle.

            "Damn it!" Dingo shouted.

            Anomalocarimon X twisted his two front pincers within Metalseadramon's metal grip and jabbed the bladed end into the metal skin. Surprisingly, he was able to pierce his metal hide. The serpent's grip instant weekend and the two X-digimon were freed.

            "Devil Bashing!" Gesomon X shouted, as he began to pound and bash Metalseadramon's face repeatedly with his elastic tentacles. Anomalocarimon X executed his Tail Blade attack, once again knocking the serpent in the underside of the chin. James lost his grip and was sent flying backwards, crashing into the water.

            Metalseadramon roared. "I'll tear you all apart!" His nose began to glow brightly. "Take this, Ultimate Stream!"

            Anomalocarimon X grinned. "This time I'll do this right! Tail Blade!" He fired his two blades of energy at the beam of energy again. This time, however, he managed to fire them with enough accuracy so that the flat side was facing the beam. Metalseadramon's own attack struck the bladed energy and bounced back, smashing him directly in the face. He fluttered around for a moment before falling backwards into the water. He glowed brightly before regressing to his child form.

            "B…Betamon…" James gasped, "How, even with the power of the Digital God, we were still defeated? By…by two digimon…at a level _below_ yours! How can that be?"

            "Because we know teamwork!"

            James twisted his head and saw Dingo swimming towards him. "Ya think that jus' by hangin' with Miayag, ya're a team? I don' think so! Oh, by the way…" He pulled his fist back and punch him as hard as he could. The British man's eyes fluttered for a second before rolling back into his head. He fell backwards and floated in the water.

            "Dingo…" Jyou said.

            "Sorry," he said, "These guys have been pissin' me off."

            The older man smiled slightly. "All right, let's try to find our way out of here…"

111

            A few floors above them, Hikari and Mimi were facing Keiko. Her Pinocchimon raised his giant mallet and fired a barrage of glowing energy balls. "Bullet Hammer!"

            Lillymon X placed her hands together and created a large gun barrel. "Flower Cannon!" The two energy attack exploded, sending waves of energy through the room. The flower woman blinked for a moment, then saw the puppet digimon charging at her, his giant mallet ready for another attack.

            "Curse of Queen!"

            Pinocchimon twisted around at the last moment and used his large hammer to block Nefertimon X's attack. He then fired another barrage from his Bullet Hammer, knocking her in the face. She floated in the air for a moment before he whacked her in the side of the head with his mallet.

            "Nefertimon!" Hikari cried.

            "Lillymon!" Mimi shouted, "Help her!"

            Pinocchimon knew Lillymon X was coming to attack him, so he spun around to face her. He was just in time to watch as she kicked him as hard as she could in his nose. He stumbled back for a moment, and the flower woman began to pound him with a flurry of physical attacks, punches and kicks. Pinocchimon grinned and his nose began to spin quickly. "Lie!"

            He jabbed his drilling nose into Lillymon X's chest, tearing away part of her dress. She covered her breasts. "You pervert!" she shouted.

            Pinocchimon blushed for a moment, leaving him wide open for a barrage of Nefertimon X's Cartouche attack. He fell forward and crashed into the ground.

            Mimi grinned. "Hey, we're not doing too bad."

            "Speak for yourself!" Lillymon X shouted as she repaired her dress as best she could.

            "Pinocchimon!" Keiko shouted.

            The puppet digimon rose to his feet, his back to the two X-digimon. He dropped his hammer to the ground and raised his hands to the air. He suddenly spun and unleashed a group of strings that penetrated into Nefertimon X and Lillymon X.

            "Oh no!" Hikari exclaimed, "He's got them!"

            Pinocchimon laughed. "That's right, and now they're completely under my control, but that's not all..." Strings exploded from his elbows and wrapped around Hikari and Mimi as well, penetrating into their skin. The two young women were horrified as their arms and legs began to move on their own.

            "How…how…?" Hikari gasped.

            "The Digital God," Keiko grinned, "He increased our powers, and now Pinocchimon has the power to control humans too! Show them…"

            The puppet digimon flexed his wooden muscles slightly and Nefertimon X and Lillymon X floated higher into the air. Nefertimon X was forced to remain in one place as Lillymon X flew closer. The flower woman fought with all of her might, but her arms raised into the air and began to assail the angel digimon with a barrage of punches, directly in her face.

            "I'm sorry!" she shouted, despite the fact that her fists continued to bash Nefertimon X. The angel digimon felt her arms start to move as well.

            "Watch out!" she cried, "I'm about to attack too!"

            If Lillymon X could have moved, she would have, but she was helpless as Nefertimon X's front claws reached up and slashed the flower woman across her bare legs. Lillymon X countered by swinging her feet around and kicking the angel in the underside of her chin. The angel bashed her head into the flower woman's stomach, and Lillymon X slammed both of her fists into Nefertimon X's head. Both X-digimon screamed in pain.

            "Is that all you can take?" Pinocchimon laughed, "Get ready, 'cause it's about to get worse!"

            He forced both of the X-digimon to fly apart, but made Lillymon X fly higher then the angel digimon. The flower woman placed her hands together and formed her blossoming gun battle. "No!" she protested, "Don't!"

            Pinocchimon ignored her and forced Lillymon X to fire her Flower Cannon at Nefertimon X, while he forced the angel to fire her Curse of Queen technique at the flower woman. Both attacks were bull's-eye hit. Both X-digmon crashed into the floor.

            "Ha!" Keiko laughed.

            Mimi growled. "How can you be so cruel? How?"

            "What go's around comes around," she said, glaring at them.

            The young woman would have turned to Hikari, had she been able to. "Did…did you train her?"

            "No," Hikari said, struggling against Pinocchimon's strings, "It was Sora and Miyako…"

            "And it's a shame that Sora's not here right now," Keiko frowned, "I'd love to show her how much I learned from her, especially about fighting for what you believe in. Just as you fight for Taichi Yagami and Yamato Ishida, we fight for Lady Miayag and the Digital God, and they have commanded us to bring you to them. So, Pinocchimon…"

            The puppet digimon chuckled and flexed his muscles. Hikari and Mimi felt their bodies move on their own. He forced them Mimi to punch Hikari with all of her might, while he commanded the younger woman to attack with kicks from her heeled shoes. Both young women apologized again and again, but Pinocchimon continued to command their bodies to attack each other. He finally forced them to charge each other with their fists pulled back. Once they were close enough, he commanded them to swing their arms around and pound each other's cheek. The force from the attack, coupled with the blow to their heads, caused them to pass out and hit their head on the ground.

            "All right," Keiko grinned, "Two X-Chosen and two X-digimon…not bad…"

111

            Yamato and Michael held to each other as Mugen Dramon stomped his feet, shaking the room with the furry of an earthquake. Weregarurumon X swung his arms around, sending the energy wave of his Kaiser Nail attack into Mugen Dramon's metal neck. If the attack hurt, the metal dragon did not show it. Instead, he swung his giant claw into the ground, sending shards of the metal floor shooting towards Michael and Yamato. Megaseadramon X dove in front of the two humans, and with a whip of his tail, sent the shards flying backwards. Mugen Dramon held up his arms, and the shards pierced into his metal skin.

            "That's not going to work, you know," Takashi chuckled, "Now, Mugen Dramon, make them pay!"

            Megaseadramon X's horn began to glow and grew larger. "King Javelin!" He attempted to skewer Mugen Dramon's leg, but the metal dragon flicked his muscles and sent the serpent flying backwards. Weregarurumon X charged from the right side.

            "Kaiser Nail!"

            Mugen Dramon raised his arm quickly and the wolf's attack bounced harmless into the ground. "Take this, Booster Claw!"

\           Much like Metalgreymon's technique, the metal claws extended out, smashing the wolf in the face. Weregarurumon X fell over, but executed a perfect back-flip, landed on his feet and charged forward once more. He ran up the metal cord connecting the claw to the arm and arrived on the metal dragon's shoulder. He eyed Takashi, who was standing on the dragon's head. He pulled his fist back, but Mugen Dramon brought his left arm around and grabbed him tightly.

            "Ready for a tight squeeze?" he chuckled, "Infinity Hand!"

            Weregarurumon X held it as long as he could, but Mugen Dramon's sheer strength forced him to scream. Megaseadramon X swam to his aide. He executed his King Javelin attack, slicing at the metal arm, but to no avail, Mugen Dramon's metal skin was simply too thick.

            "Do something!" Michael shouted.

            The hovering serpent hesitated for a moment, then whipped his body around and jabbed the tip of his tail into Mugen Dramon's small eyeholes. The metal dragon screamed in pain and released Weregarurumon, who fell to his knees, panting loudly.

            "Yeah!" Michael cheered, "Three Stooges, yeah!"

            Yamato glanced at him. "Who?"

            The American shook his head. "Never mind."

            Megaseadramon X floated over to Weregarurumon X. "You still with me, buddy?"

            "Yeah," he replied, rising to his feet, "I'm fine, but listen, we can't attack this guy one-on-one, we gotta do it together."

            "I'm with ya."

            The two X-digimon stared at Mugen Dramon for a moment before charging forward. Megaseadramon X led the attack, arming his King Javelin technique. "This again?" Takashi laughed, "Mugen Dramon, why don't we finish them off?"

            The two giant cannons on the metal dragon's back began to glow. "Infinity Cannon!"

            The two massive blasts of energy headed towards Megaseadramon X, but at the last second, the serpent shot into the air, completely avoid the attack. Weregarurumon X darted through the blasts and executed his Kaiser Nail attack again, this time striking Mugen Dramon in the chest. A large scratch appeared across the metal chest. When the dragon raised his claw to smash down on the wolf, Megaseadramon X whipped around and executed his King Javelin technique to slash across the scratch. However, much to this dismay, Mugen Dramon was completely unharmed.

            The dragon laughed. "Take this one, Catastrophe!"

            An internal mechanism exploded, sending out a shockwave of energy, knocking into Megaseadramon X and Weregarurumon X, throwing them onto the floor.

            "Oh man!" Michael shouted.

            Yamato frowned, then glanced at the Airguns of Lucien. "Weregarurumon!" he shouted, "There's only one way to win this!"

            "Yamato, no!" Michael shouted.

            "There's no other way," he said, "I can't let them win, we have to do everything we can."  Before Michael could protest, he charged forward. Weregarurumon X regressed to Gabumon X before both he and Yamato began to glow in the same bright light.

            "Gabumon X evolve to…Metalgarurumon X!"

            Takashi and Mugen Dramon gasped in wonder. "T…they evolved together!" the dragon gasped.

            "Why?" Takashi asked, "Why can't we do that?"

            Metalgarurumon X stared at the massive metal dragon. He spread open his arms and opened all of his missile chambers, firing them at once. "Garuru Burst!"

            The missiles erupted from their barrels, twisting and turning in the room. Michael was fearful that his friend's attack would destroy them all, but, each and every missile twisted to strike Mugen Dramon across his entire body, creating a massive explosion. When the smoke cleared, Takashi was barely standing on his feet while Mugen Dramon had been regressed to his child form of Tsukaimon. Metalgarurumon X glowed brightly and split back into Gabumon X and Yamato. The small digimon fell forward, and Yamato would have done the same, if Michael had not of grab him when he did.

            "How?" Takashi panted, "How did we lose? The power of the Digital God was on our side! How?"

            He glanced over and saw Yamato being supported by Michael, while Betamon X had Gabumon X on his back. His memory flashed an image of all the X-Chosen, laughing and cheering together. "Oh, I see…that's why…"

            Yamato raised his head as best he could to stare at Takashi. The younger man smiled slightly. "Now I know why she choose you…" His eyes rolled into his head and he fell over backwards.

            Michael glanced over at Yamato, and found that he had passed out. He looked over at Takashi and Mugen Dramon. "Great, now I've got to carry all of them…"

111

            Near the top floor of the castle, Yuri and Taichi were engaged in their own battle against Hiroshi and Piedmon. Kuwagamon X pulled his large pincers back and swung it forward. "Crunch Arm!" Piedmon twisted out of the way and slammed his fist into the insect's outstretched arm. The clown then pulled his fist back and punched the beetle in the face as hard as he could.

            Metalgreymon pointed his metal arm forward and screamed, "Trident Arm Version 9.9!" His metal claw shot towards Piedmon once again, but the clown leapt out of the way and landed gracefully on the metal cable connecting the claw to the arm. He executed two more flips, moving further up the cable until he arrived at Metalgreymon's metal shoulder. He pivoted on his right foot while his left foot smashed into the dinosaur's jaw. He then flipped over again and landed perfectly on the ground.

            Taichi growled. "What the hell? The last time we fought, you were a magician, not a freakin' gymnast!"

            Hiroshi glared at him. "He's not the same Piedmon you fought on top of Spiral Mountain, he's still my Penmon, only with the power given to him by the Digital God! Power enough to destroy you! Piedmon!"

            Both X-digimon turned back to Piedmon, who was slowly walking towards them. Metalgreymon X roared as loud as he could, trying to intimidate the clown, but, that did not work. Piedmon was undeterred as he charged forward. "Trump Sword!"

            He whipped his swords out and flung the top two at the dinosaur's face, but the bottom two he kept in his hands as he slashed across the scaly legs. Metalgreymon twisted his head around so the two flying swords bounced off of his metal face plate. His leg was injured, but he was still well enough to kick the clown into the waiting arms of Kuwagamon X.

            "Crunch Arm!" the beetle shouted, swinging his massive arm into Piedmon's head. The clown's head fluttered for a moment.

            "Yeah!" Taichi cheered, "That's teamwork, yeah!"

            Piedmon smirked and smashed his elbow into Kuwagamon X's face, then twisted around and slammed the back of his heel into the side of the beetle's head. He grabbed Yuri's partner by the claw and flung him over his shoulder into Metalgreymon X.

            The dinosaur caught him in his arms, but that left him open for Piedmon's Trump Sword again, this time directly in the dinosaur's left eye. Taichi watched in horror as his partner roared in pain.

            "Where is your honor?" Yuri shouted, "That is dirty fighting!"

            Metalgreymon X released Kuwagamon X and attempted to hold his bleeding eye. His rage soon took over and his metal chest plate whipped open. "Giga Destroyer!"

            Piedmon narrowed his eyes at the incoming missiles and clapped his hands together. "Final Spell!"  A wave of sonic energy exploded out, and the two projectiles were caught in the way, sending them twisting and spinning. They smashed into the mountainous landscape, causing the entire room to shake.

            Piedmon and Kuwagamon X hovered into the air, staring at each other. The beetle shot forward, his pincer arms ready, but the clown was ready. He clapped his hands together, but this time pointed his index fingers forward. "Clown Trick!"

            A mighty blast of energy exploded from his extended fingers and smashed into Kuwagamon X, forcing him to slam into Metalgreymon X's chest. Both X-digimon glowed bright before regressing to their Child forms. Taichi and Yuri ran to their partners' sides.

            They knelt down and slowly lifted them into their arms. When they rose to their feet, they saw Piedmon pointing his swords at them. "Do not move," Hiroshi warned, "You are our prisoners."

111

            Hiroshi and Piedmon dragged Taichi, Yuri and their unconscious partners through the maze of tunnels until they arrived at a set of giant double doors, made of metal engraved with elegant designs. The clown pushed the doors open and forced them through. Inside was a room covered with shadows, only a small square near the door was illuminated. Lying on the brick floor was Plotmon X and Palmon X, while kneeling beside them was Mimi and Hikari. Miayag and Witchmon were standing at the edge of the shadow line, within the light. She gave a strange smile when she saw Taichi. "Ah, _Juukeitei_ I see that you have decided to join us."

            Taichi glared at her, and his attention turned to his sister. He gasped loudly and ran to her side. "Hikari!" he gasped, "Y…your face…it's…it's bruised! Have…have you been fighting yourself?"

            The younger woman glanced at Mimi, who shared similar injuries. "It's…nothing…"

            "Where are Takashi and James?" Miayag asked.

            "No doubt finishing off Kido, Hogan, Barton and Ishida," Hiroshi said, smiling at Keiko.

            "Guess again!"

            The Digitalatri and the X-Chosen turned their heads back to the door to see Dingo running inside with Gesomon X. Jyou and Anomalocarimon X were behind them, carrying James and his Betamon. Standing at their side was Michael, supporting a barely-conscious Yamato, while his Betamon X was carrying Gabumon X. Takashi and his Tsukaimon were lying on the floor behind them. Hiroshi's eyes glowed red with rage.

            "Takashi…James…I will kill you for hurting them!"

            "Yeah?" Dingo laughed, "I'd like ta see ya try!"

            Miayag began to laugh. "You do not realize in whose presence you stand before, do you?"

            Jyou blinked. "W…what do you mean?"

            The Digitalatri Priestess grinned broadly and raised her hands to the ceiling. The dark shadows of the room slowly parted as the illumination of the center square grew. The truly contents of the room was soon revealed to be that of a perfect afternoon sky: bright blue, a few white clouds, and a brilliant shining sun. That was what the X-Chosen thought at first, but then they soon realized that the shining did not come from the sun, but from the massive figure standing near the rear wall.

            "What the hell is that?" Taichi shouted.

            "Do you not know?" Miayag asked, "That is the supreme lord of the Digital World!"

            "The Digital God?!" every X-Chosen exclaimed in awe.

            "He's real?" Mimi asked, shivering slightly.

            Jyou plaed. "Uh, is it too late to convert?"

            "Jyou!" Taichi shouted.

            The older man shook his head. "Right, sorry…just lost my head their for a moment."

            Keiko grinned. "You're gonna lose more then that after the Digital God gets through with you!"

            "I believe she is correct," Miayag said, crossing her arms, "Prepare to face they divine punishment."

            The X-Chosen braced themselves for the assault of the Digital God, but to their surprise, there came none. "Uh, not that I'm complaining," Jyou said, "But…"

            Miayag twirled to the massive figure. "I…I do not understand. D…do you not wish to punish them?"

            There was no answer. In fact, the figure remained completely still.

Dingo leaned over to whisper in Jyou's ear. "I think this girl might be a few cards short of a full deck."

            "No!" the Digitalatri Priestess shouted, falling at the giant figure's feet, "No, you…you are real, you must be! Please, speak to me!"

            Then, a giant rumbled sounded through the room. The rumble soon became recognizable as a laugh, a deep, roaring laughter…coming from the unmoving-figure! Miayag, stumbled backwards and landed on her rear, staring up at the figure of her Digital God. "W…what?"

            The figure continued to laugh. "I think it is about time to end this charade…"

            The bright blue sky soon began to fade, like a dissolving screen, to reveal a castle room covered with cracked and dirty bricks, decaying vines wrapped the walls, and black mold sprouted from the corners. Outside, the paradise world began to fade as well, into a realm of darkness, with red, jagged rocks covering the landscape, geysers of red lava poured to the sky, and demonic creatures flew through the air, screeching and screaming in terror.

            The massive figure laughed again. "Welcome to the Dark Area!"

The X-Chosen and the Digitalatri both stared in horror as the once angelic figure began to reveal itself as well, into a giant centaur-type creature, with two giant mouths attached to the top of the front legs, with massive nails and claws on the feet. The human torso was draped in a red shirt that extended down the elongated arms, two massive black wings extended from the back and a yellow tail fluttered behind it. Long blond hair was covered on top of the head by a bladed metal helmet.

            "You!" Yamato gasped, "I…I know you! I…I saw you…I saw your painting, in…in the Demon Lords' temple! You're…you're…"

            The figure's human torso bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself, King of the Vampires, GranDracmon at your service."

To be continued….


	21. The Book of Shadows: Chapter 2

            _My name is Hiroshi Shibya, a soldier of the Digitalatri. I was not always a member of this divine church, at one time I was counted among the Odaiba Chosen, along with Keiko and Takashi. I was trained by Taichi Yagami himself, I was taught to be a leader. At one time, I was so proud of that fact, and I wore it like a badge. Whenever I traveled among Chosen from other parts of the world, I would tell them my name. They were not impressed, but then I told them I was part of the Odaiba Chosen, and they would become slightly more impressed, but it wasn't until I told them that I was trained by Taichi Yagami, that I would become an instant celebrity. Even now, after I chose to leave the Chosen and join with Digitalatri, my reputation and training preceded me and I was made the General of the Digitalatri Army. However, I was still not able to stop Tatum, Sam and Vicente from being killed, nor was I able to stop the Demon Lords and the Chosen Council from destroying the Digital World._

_            But all was not lost, from the destruction of the Digital World, there came the prize we had sought, the realm of the Digital God. It did seem convenient that once the world was gone, the Digital God would appear, but I did not question, I had wanted to believe so badly. Now, it seems that we were mistaken, and our beliefs had nothing but lies…_

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Shadows:_

_Chapter 2_

            Hiroshi and Piedmon dragged Taichi, Yuri and their unconscious partners through the maze of tunnels until they arrived at a set of giant double doors, made of metal engraved with elegant designs. The clown pushed the doors open and forced them through. Inside was a room covered with shadows, only a small square near the door was illuminated. Lying on the brick floor was Plotmon X and Palmon X, while kneeling beside them was Mimi and Hikari. Miayag and Witchmon were standing at the edge of the shadow line, within the light. She gave a strange smile when she saw Taichi. "Ah, _Juukeitei_ I see that you have decided to join us."

            Taichi glared at her, and his attention turned to his sister. He gasped loudly and ran to her side. "Hikari!" he gasped, "Y…your face…it's…it's bruised! Have…have you been fighting yourself?"

            The younger woman glanced at Mimi, who shared similar injuries. "It's…nothing…"

            "Where are Takashi and James?" Miayag asked.

            "No doubt finishing off Kido, Hogan, Barton and Ishida," Hiroshi said, smiling at Keiko.

            "Guess again!"

            The Digitalatri and the X-Chosen turned their heads back to the door to see Dingo running inside with Gesomon X. Jyou and Anomalocarimon X were behind them, carrying James and his Betamon. Standing at their side was Michael, supporting a barely-conscious Yamato, while his Betamon X was carrying Gabumon X. Takashi and his Tsukaimon were lying on the floor behind them. Hiroshi's eyes glowed red with rage.

            "Takashi…James…I will kill you for hurting them!"

            "Yeah?" Dingo laughed, "I'd like ta see ya try!"

            Miayag began to laugh. "You do not realize in whose presence you stand before, do you?"

            Jyou blinked. "W…what do you mean?"

            The Digitalatri Priestess grinned broadly and raised her hands to the ceiling. The dark shadows of the room slowly parted as the illumination of the center square grew. The truly contents of the room was soon revealed to be that of a perfect afternoon sky: bright blue, a few white clouds, and a brilliant shining sun. That was what the X-Chosen thought at first, but then they soon realized that the shining did not come from the sun, but from the massive figure standing near the rear wall.

            "What the hell is that?" Taichi shouted.

            "Do you not know?" Miayag asked, "That is the supreme lord of the Digital World!"

            "The Digital God?!" every X-Chosen exclaimed in awe.

            "He's real?" Mimi asked, shivering slightly.

            Jyou plaed. "Uh, is it too late to convert?"

            "Jyou!" Taichi shouted.

            The older man shook his head. "Right, sorry…just lost my head their for a moment."

            Keiko grinned. "You're gonna lose more then that after the Digital God gets through with you!"

            "I believe she is correct," Miayag said, crossing her arms, "Prepare to face they divine punishment."

            The X-Chosen braced themselves for the assault of the Digital God, but to their surprise, there came none. "Uh, not that I'm complaining," Jyou said, "But…"

            Miayag twirled to the massive figure. "I…I do not understand. D…do you not wish to punish them?"

            There was no answer. In fact, the figure remained completely still.

Dingo leaned over to whisper in Jyou's ear. "I think this girl might be a few cards short of a full deck."

            "No!" the Digitalatri Priestess shouted, falling at the giant figure's feet, "No, you…you are real, you must be! Please, speak to me!"

            Then, a giant rumbled sounded through the room. The rumble soon became recognizable as a laugh, a deep, roaring laughter…coming from the unmoving-figure! Miayag, stumbled backwards and landed on her rear, staring up at the figure of her Digital God. "W…what?"

            The figure continued to laugh. "I think it is about time to end this charade…"

            The bright blue sky soon began to fade, like a dissolving screen, to reveal a castle room covered with cracked and dirty bricks, decaying vines wrapped the walls, and black mold sprouted from the corners. Outside, the paradise world began to fade as well, into a realm of darkness, with red, jagged rocks covering the landscape, geysers of red lava poured to the sky, and demonic creatures flew through the air, screeching and screaming in terror.

            The massive figure laughed again. "Welcome to the Dark Area!"

The X-Chosen and the Digitalatri both stared in horror as the once angelic figure began to reveal itself as well, into a giant centaur-type creature, with two giant mouths attached to the top of the front legs, with massive nails and claws on the feet. The human torso was draped in a red shirt that extended down the elongated arms, two massive black wings extended from the back and a yellow tail fluttered behind it. Long blond hair was covered on top of the head by a bladed metal helmet.

            "You!" Yamato gasped, "I…I know you! I…I saw you…I saw your painting, in…in the Demon Lords' temple! You're…you're…"

            The figure's human torso bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself, King of the Vampires, GranDracmon at your service."

            Miayag gasped. "G…GranDracmon? W…where is the God of the Digital World?"

            The large demon laughed. "You are a fool, I _am_ the God of the Digital World!"

            "No!" the priestess screamed, "That is impossible! You cannot be the divine god I serve!"

            "But I am, my dear, I am," he responded.

            Hikari frowned. "I knew I sensed something…evil…"

            Plotmon X mentioned to the decaying castle. "How did you do that?"

            GranDracmon chuckled. "I have the ability to bring anyone I wish under my command, young digimon, it is a simple matter for me to alter a person's perception of reality." He turned to Miayag, "Isn't that correct, my priestess."

            "I am not your priestess!" she protested, "I do not know who you are, or how you came to reside here, but I know the Digital God I serve, and you are not Him."

            He smiled. "Why do you keep denying what you know to be true? I have been here all along, moving the pieces of my grand chessboard to the places that I have seen to be fit. For you see, I know all and I see all, I am omnipotent and omniscient, what greater qualifications are there to be counted as a god?" He began to laugh, "Oh, but I have forgotten one, have I not? For to truly be a god, one must be worshiped, and I have worshippers, do I not, Lady Miayag?"

            The Digitalatri Priestess stared with horror. "This…this cannot be!"

            "Why do you continue to deny this?" the giant demon asked.

            ""I deny it because it it cannot be true!" she shouted, "You will not lie to me any longer! I am Chihi Miayag, I serve the true God of the Digital World!"

            GranDracmon began to laugh. "Ah yes, Chihi Miayag, descended from Yuushi of the First Chosen. The First Chosen, who were brought to this world to save it from the treachery of Murmixmon and his Ceria Empire, the First Chosen, the predecessors of Yagami, Ishida, and the other Chosen. Chihi Miayag, the cousin of Taichi and Hikari Yagami, Hikari Yagami, Chihi Miayag, who reclaimed the Center Island after untold-time, but could not save it from the Demon Lords."

            His grin grew even wider. "Only, I have been behind Ceria, the Demon Lords, and more aspects of your entire mission then you can possibly ever imagine. I am the darkness from the dawn of time, I am the shadows that plague your sight, I am the nightmare that steals your sleep, I am GranDracmon, I am the true God of the Digital World!"

            "I don't understand," Jyou said, "What is going on here?"

            He smiled. "Ah, yes, I am speaking of things that you do not yet understand, So please, sit, and I shall tell you that which you wish to know. Where shall I begin? I could easily bore you with tales of the creation of the Digital World, and my war with the heavenly angels…maybe I should begin with the end of the war in heaven? Yes…for at the beginning, I attempted to overtake the heavenly realm of the angels. I turned several angels to my side, and they became my fallen angels, my demonic army. With seven powerful devils as my commanders, we attacked the angelic realm…and was thoroughly defeated. My seven fallen angel generals were destroyed, but I could not be killed so easily. I was injured and my impressive powers depilated, so the three great angels: Seraphimon of the Day, Ophanimon of the Twilight and Cherubimon of the Night, used their powers to seal me in the Dark Area, deep within the core of the Digital World. The result was that they used all their powers, and so they perished." He sighed deeply. "And so I was trapped here, lo these untold years…"

            "What about the First Chosen?" Miayag demanded, "And I really descended from Yuushi?"

            "Of course you are my dear," he grinned, "Ah…the First Chosen, I remember when they first arrived in this world. Through an error in reality, they were given the powers of the eight elements that comprised the Digital World. I realized that if I could harness that power, the Digital World could be removed and I would be freed of this prison. I enticed the Emperor of Ceria, Murmixmon, to construct the Soul Catcher to steal this elemental energy. He did not, as my control over him had begun to slip. However, he still managed to defeat the First Chosen's empire and brought the Staff of Yuushi and the Machina Codex back to Cer with him. As for my Soul Catcher…it was hidden within a temple in the Desert of Asharlara, waiting to be used by another pawn."

            "The Demon Lords?" Miayag gasped, "You were behind the Demon Lords as well?"

            "That is correct," he smiled. "For you see, I was well aware that Taichi and Hikari were grandchildren of Yuushi, and I watched with anticipation to see if his great power would manifest in them. However, it did not."

            "It didn't?" Plotmon X blinked. She looked towards her partner, "Then, what about…?"

            GranDracmon began to chuckle. "Hikari's power came from the Crest of Light, thus, when she was forced to release it in a pathetic attempt to turn back the forces of darkness, she began to lose it little by little, until this point, when all that is left of that great power is the occasional ability to detect evil."

            Hikari frowned. "It was good enough to sense you…"

            He continued. "I was aware that Takenouchi was the grandchild of Hidokoro but she had not displayed that power as of yet. I waited for countless years for the power to resurface in the granddaughters of the First Chosen. But, as I waited and watched, I came to a conclusion; that power would only surface when brought to the brink of death, and with each and everyone of them infected with the Second Black Death, their bodies were already taxed to the brink of their lives. It would be a simple matter, and to do that, I would need an army of powerful servants. I would take the dark and negative energies from the Odaiba Chosen and create dark crests, Pride from Courage, Lust from Love, Wrath from Friendship, Greed from Knowledge, Envy from Purity, Sloth from Faith, and Gluttony from Hope. These crests were given to digital doppelgangers of deceased Chosen: Karetu from Takeru, Enk from Ken, Amikyo from Miyako, Shiokuro from Koushiro, Seiduka from Daisuke, as well as deceased Chosen would had been revived shortly after: Asro from Sora and Cahiti from Taichi."

            "How?" Jyou asked, "How were you able to do that?"

            He chuckled. "This is the Dark Area, here is where the dead and evil reside. I am it's master! Have you never questioned why, after accepting my power, the Digitalatri digimon evolved to your former, defeated enemies? And why, when you fought a Demon Lord, they summoned defeated digimon? Because I am the Lord of the Dead! I gave the doubles of the Chosen the corrupted crests and the digimon partners of my seven fallen angels and sent them to attack the granddaughters of the First Chosen." He smiled. "They were not aware of their connection to me, for after losing Murmixmon from my control, I decided that a pawn would serve better then a controlled servent."

            Taichi frowned. "So, Cahiti didn't know he was being used, huh?"

            "No, he did not," GranDracmon explained, "I merely…nudged, him in the right directions. For you see, it was my plan to have the Demon Lords merely awaken the power within the Daughters of the First, and then, once they were all assembled, steal that power!  It took longer then excepted, but once Cahiti had that power within the Soul Catcher, he used it to destroy the Digital World, just as I wanted. With the world above us completely gone, I am nearly free, so close…."

            "Nearly free?" Hiroshi asked.

            GranDracmon frowned. "Yes, for although I freed myself of the angels' seal, I am unable to pass through the dimensions…"

            "Dimensions?" Mimi asked.

            "Yes, my dear, for my goal is to conquer your Earth!"

            "But why me?" Miayag shouted, "Why me?!"

            "Because, I am a vampire, and to break through the dimensions, I need more energy then I currently posses. Where would that energy come from, why not an entire world of worshipers?"

            "So, that is all?" she sneered, "I was nothing more then a…a…"

            "A pawn?" GranDracmon grinned, "Yes, that is correct, nothing but a pawn."

            "Wait," she grinned, "There is a flaw in your plan, for now we know of your deception, and it will be an easy enough matter to warn them all. They will cease their worship, and you will be confined here forever."

            The demonic beast began to roar with laughter. "I have manipulated you for all this time, why would I reveal myself to you, unless you are no longer needed?"

            She began to pale. "W…what are you saying?"

            "I am saying you are being replaced!" He waved his hands and four figures appeared before him, each one was dressed in a cloak similar to the garb of the Demon Lords: one was dirty pink, another was a light orange, another was dull gold, and the last was dark green. "Now, introduce yourselves…"

            The figure in dark green removed his hood to reveal the face of a younger teenager with short brown hair. The X-Chosen and Digitalatri were silent, the shock of seeing a person they thought dead had diminished, especially when standing in the presence of the dark mastermind. GranDracmon chuckled, "May I present Oiri, the dark double of Iori Hida. Next…"

            The figure in dull gold removed his hood. "Asm, the dark double of Sam Anderson of the New York Team…"

            The figure in light orange removed her hood. "Matut, the dark double of Tatum Heany. And now, the last one…"

            The one in the dirty pink cloak removed her hood as well, revealing the face of Hikari Yagami. "Me?" the younger Yagami gasped, "But…how?"

            GranDracmon mentioned to the Hikari-double. "Karihi here was created not through your death, but through the negative emotions that would have created the Crest of Darkness, but, your negative energy was in such a high quantity that it formed a separate entity. For you repressed every negative thought you ever had, and it collected and merged here in my realm. It is Karihi who will take your place, my dear Miayag, as my Priestess."

            The cousin of Taichi and Hikari did not respond, so the demon beast continued.

            "And to power these four, I shall give them corrupted versions of the remaining crests…"

            "Four?" Jyou questioned.

            "Yes, Hikari's Crest of Light, Daisuke's Crest of Miracles, Ken's Crest of Kindness, and the last crest was created from the power that Yuushi held, the power of fate! The Crest of Fate, is held by you, Chihi Miayag!"

            She blinked. "It…it is?"

            "Of course, how did you think it was possible for your partner to evolve to her Fully Evolved form without an external power source? But, it matters not, to counter the crests of Light, Miracles, Kindness and Fate, I create the crests of Death, Famine, War and Pestilence. They will be given to Oiri, Asm, Icathi and Karihi, the Four Horsemen of my Apocalypse!"

            "No!" Taichi shouted, "You won't destroy Earth too! We won't let you!"

            GranDracmon waved his hand and the four figures vanished once more. "You really think you can stop me? You have no idea who you are dealing with, no idea at all."

            "Wanna bet?" Yamato yelled, "You might be strong, but if we attack you all at once, not even _you_ can stand up against that!"

            Hikari turned to Miayag. She placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Come on, we need to attack at once."

            The former priestess nodded. "Yes…Yes! Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi, James, attack him!"

            Each of the Child-level X-Chosen quickly evolved to their highest forms: Kokuwamon X to Kuwagamon X, Ganimon X to Gesomon X, Betamon X to Megaseadramon X, Palmon X to Lillymon X, Gomamon X to Tylomon X, and Plotmon X to Nefertimon X. Taichi and Yamato reached for their weapons: the Sword of Hidokoro and the Airguns of Lucien.

"Yamato!" Michael shouted, "You can't! You just evolved to beat Takashi!"

            Hikari had joined Michael in protesting the fused evolution of her brother. "Oniichan, you can't! It made you so weak before…"

            Both leaders of the X-Chosen ignored the warnings and fused together with their partners.

            "Gabumon X warp evolve to Metalgarurumon X!"

            "Agumon X warp evolve to Wargreymon X!"

            The Digitalatri digimon were already evolved to their highest forms, all save Miayag and Witchmon. The former priestess ordered her Adult-level partner to evolve to her Mega form, Kuzuhamon. She then joined the other digimon as they assembled. They stood at attention in a massive semi-circle, surrounding the front of GranDracmon. "Get ready…" Wargreymon X said in a merger of Taichi and Agumon X's voice,"…attack!"

            The group of 13 digimon charged forward. The demon beast merely laughed. "You have no respect for the power I command." He swung his hand in front of him, sending out a wave of energy that struck each of the digimon. They were thrown backwards; the two Adults and the four Fully Evolved digimon smashed into the rear wall and slide to the floor, while the seven Mega digimon were thrown to the ground, but remained on their feet.

            GranDracmon raised an eyebrow. "You yet stand? I must have held back more then I thought. A problem that is easily remedied…"  He held out his hands and bolts of electricity coursed through the air, striking the Mega digimon and trapping them within spheres of black energy.

            He turned his attention to the four Digitalatri digimon. "Now, as for you, your power came from me, so, it is a simple matter to take it back!" His eyes began to glow slightly and the four Mega digimon stiffened and began to shake slightly. Balls of energy flowed from their bodies and vanished into the air. Metalseadramon regressed to Waruseadramon, MugenDramon regressed to Metaltyrannomon, Pinocchimon regressed to Garbamon, and Piedmon regressed to Blue Meramon. The stressed of a forced devolution caused them to become weak and they regressed even further, to their Child levels.  GranDracmon then turned to Wargreymon X, Metalgarurumon X and Kuzuhamon.

"As for you three," he grinned, "Prepare to meet they God…" The two mouths on the shoulders of his two front legs opened wide to reveal sharp jagged teeth. Those two mouths roared and sent out blasts of dark energy that smashed into the three digimon. They screamed as intense pain coursed through their bodies. They smashed into the floor, each one had returned to their previous forms, and each one was bruised, bloodied and unconscious.

            "Oniichan!" Hikari screamed, running to her brother's side.  Miayag knelt down beside him, then turned to her Plotmon partner, who had her eyes closed tightly. She twisted to GranDracmon, her eyes dripping with rage and hate.

            "You…you demon!"

            He smirked. "Is there something you wish to say to me, my dear?"

            "I will make you pay for what you have done!" she shouted, "I swear this to you, you will die by my hand!"

            "I have another prophecy my dear; I believe it is _you_ who shall die by _my_ hand. Observe…" He pointed a red, bony finger at her and fired a beam of black energy that shot towards her chest. She realized what was about to occur and whipped the Staff of Yuushi around at the last moment. GranDracmon's attack struck the mythical weapon and exploded, covering the young woman in a web of darkness that forced even her to scream in agony. She soon fell to the ground, unconscious as well.

            Hiroshi and Keiko ran to Miayag's side, while Hikari was nearly hysterical at the site of her fallen brother. Jyou was examining both him and Yamato. "They're still alive," he said.

            GranDracmon grinned, "Then allow me to correct that oversight…" He took a step forward.

            Dingo ran to the front of the group, and mentioned with his hands behind his back. Jyou slowly pulled Taichi onto his back, while Michael did the same with Yamato. Keiko soon understood and ordered James to place Miayag on his back. GranDracmon was too focused on his own power to notice. "Prepare to die."

            "Not today!" Dingo shouted, "Ya see ,we're gonna do somethin' that's gonna stop ya right in ya tracks!"

            "Oh really?" he asked, "and what would that be?"

            Dingo grinned, "Here's our secret strategy…get ready…and run!"

            The Chosen and their partners instantly scrambled from the room and vanished down the dark hall. GranDracmon blinked for a moment, comprehending what had just occurred. He then began to laugh. "Do you honestly believe you can escape from me, especially when I can call forth your defeated enemies?"

            He waved his hand and a figured slowly appeared before him, a figure draped in a black cape. GranDracmon smiled. "Go, and kill them, Myotismon."

            "It'll be my pleasure!" he laughed.

111

            The X-Chosen and the Digitalatri continued the run through the halls as fast as they could, but the path they had traveled had been altered. The dismissal of GranDracmon's illusion had revealed the halls of the castle to be decaying and rotting. Thus, any markers they had seen were now useless.

            "There's got to be a way out of here!" Mimi shrieked, "Where? Where?!"

            Michael would have placed a hand on his wife's shoulder if he was not already carrying Yamato. Instead, he said, "We'll get out of here, I promise."

            Plotmon X stared down the darkened hall in front of her, then turned to the perpendicular hall that was intersecting. "Which way now?" She glanced over her shoulder to Hikari, but found that her partner was staring at the unconscious Taichi on Jyou's back. She trotted over and gently pushed her head into Hikari's leg.

            "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

            The young woman nodded quickly. "Yeah, I know, but…" She forced a smile, "I…I just can't help think that the last time we really saw each other was on the Center Island, when I was so mad at him because he didn't tell me about Miayag. I'm sorry I was angry at him, and…" Her eyes suddenly opened wide and she twirled to the unconscious priestess. She ran over.

            "Is she okay?"

            James glared at her. "Why do you want to know?"

            "Hey!" Dingo shouted, standing by Hikari's side, "What was that for? She was only askin 'cause she cares!"

            "Don't fight!" Mimi shouted, "We have to work together to get out of here!"

            "She's right," Hiroshi growled, "A temporary truce…"

            "Why temporary?" the older woman asked.

            Before Hiroshi could respond, a loud, low growl was heard echoing through the halls. "What was that?" Yuri asked, "He has sent someone after us?"

            "Great," Gomamon X mumbled. He eyed the Digitalatri, "He's going to kill you to keep you quiet and kill us just for the hell of it."

            Takashi's Tsukaimon stared at him. "He won't kill you to keep you quiet?"

            "What's the point?" the sea digimon asked, "You made it certain that no one would believe us anyway!"

            "Gomamon!" Jyou shouted.

            "How do you suggest we get out of here?" Keiko asked

            Michael looked forward, then at the intersecting hall. "We go forward, left or right. Someone pick one!"

            Ganimon X suddenly shouted, "Behind!"

            Dingo frowned. "Weren't ya listenin? That wasn't one of the choices! Besides, why would we want ta go back…" He trailed off as he turned around and saw what had caused his partner to call out. Standing in the hall behind them was the vampire creature.

            "Myotismon?!" everyone shouted in unison.

            The vampire grinned, flashing a row of rotting teeth. "I am so pleased that you remember me."

            Plotmon X growled. "How could we forget your stench?! You murdered Wizardmon!"

            He roared with laughter. "After all this time, you're still going on about that? Let him rest in peace…then again, you always were a good servant, maybe I'll send you to him!"

            He grabbed the edges of his cape and flung them open, sending out a blast of energy in the shape of a dead face. "Nightmare Claw!"

            The energy attack enveloped the digimon, all except for Kokuwamon X, Ganimon X and the four digimon of the Digitalatri. It made no difference, however, as the forced devolution cased by GranDracmon had drained them of too much energy, they were not able to evolve. Only Dingo's partner and Yuri's partner remained. The Russian and the Australian glanced at each other and nodded. They did not speak as they ran to the front of the group.

            "What are you doing?" Hikari shouted.

            "We're just gonna buy ya some time," Dingo grinned.

            "What?" the young woman shouted.

            "Our partners are they only ones who can evolve," Yuri responded, "We will fight."

            Before anyone could protest, Ganimon X evolved to Gesomon X and Kokuwamon X evolved to Kuwagamon X. Myotismon only laughed. "So, is this the resistance you have given me? Very well, this shall be quick…."

            The two young men turned to each other and smiled. "Ready for this, bud?" Dingo asked.

            "_Da_," he grinned, "Let us kick some ass."

            Their two partners stood before them, but, instead of charging forward to attack, they began to glow brightly, so brightly that their radiance began to combined together.

            "Kuwagamon X…"

            "Gesomon X…"

            "Jogress evolve to Ookuwamon X!"

            "Jogress…?" Hikari said in awe, "Amazing…"

            Dingo and Yuri were in shock as well, as was Myotismon. Both young men knew that their enemy would not be in awe for much longer. "Ookuwamon!" Dingo shouted, "Hurry up and attack!"

            Ookuwamon X swung his large pincer claws around and smashed into the side of Myotismon's head. He stumbled backwards for a moment, then swung his large firsts around and bashed the beetle directly on the nose. The beetle flew into the air and dove from the sky, but the vampire grabbed him by one of his legs and smashed him into the wall.

            Yuri was watching intensely, when he suddenly turned his head over his shoulder. The rest of the X-Chosen, as well as the Digitalatri, were still standing in the hall. "What are you still doing here?" he shouted, "Run!"

            "We're not leaving you!" Michael shouted.

            "We'll be right behind ya!" Dingo responded, "Go, go! Move yer assess!"

            Hikari and Jyou reluctantly began to flee from the battle by running down the hall. They were soon followed by Mimi, Michael and the Digitalatri. Once they were a sufficient distance ahead, Ookuwamon X slashed his giant claws into the wall, causing a large group of bricks and mortar to fall onto Myotismon. The undead creature began to swing his arms around to shield himself from the falling ceiling. When the smoke cleared, he could see the Chosen disappearing in the distance.

            "Trying to escape from me?" he laughed, "How foolish!"

            He began to run after them as fast as he could. Farther ahead of him, his prey had quickened their pace. "You will not escape from me!" he shouted, "Grisly Wing!"

            Waves of bats shot out of his hands, flying directly towards the Chosen. Before his attack could strike his enemies, however, Ookuwamon X once again appeared before him.

            "Destructive Impulse!"

            He suddenly began to swing his arms in a violent, wild fashion, striking and bashing him with his clawed arms. Myotismon swung his knee up and smashed the beetle in the underside, then grabbed his front two arms and pulled as hard as he could. Ookuwamon X moaned in pain for only a moment before his back legs swung around and began a barrage of kicks into his chest.

            The Chosen stopped for a moment, but were quickly ordered by Yuri to keep moving. They continued down the hall and finally arrived at the castle's entrance "Finally!" Mimi gasped, stepped through the large door, "Now we can get the…."

She trailed off as she stared at the landscape stretching before her. Where before there had been a beautiful, peaceful meadow, there was now a rotting, heat-infested Inferno, with streams of fire erupting from the ground and demonic creatures hissing and screeching around them. The path was still clearly defined, however, and the Chosen knew that the gate that would free them from this place was at the end.

            The roar of Myotismon was heard behind them. "We're got to keep moving," Jyou said, shifting the unconscious Taichi on his back.

            "What about Yuri and Dingo?" the young woman asked.

            She was answered when the Australian and the Russian came running out of the dying castle. Ookuwamon X and Malomyotismon could be seen battling in the hall. "Move!" Dingo shouted, "Move it now!"

            The Chosen and the digimon partners continued to run forward, charging down the path as hard as they could. They ran for what seemed like hours before arriving at the small television set that would serve as their escape. Hikari was about to reach for her digivice, when the ground suddenly shook violently, like an earthquake was erupting beneath the surface. When the group spun around, they saw that Myotismon had flung Ookuwamon X through the air where he landed only a few feet in front of them. The demonic vampire displayed a burst of speed and had quickly arrived before them.

            "Going somewhere?" he sneered.

            Before anyone could answer, Ookuwamon X leapt back into the air and slashed the underside of Myotismon's chin. The vampire stumbled back, and the beetle continued his assault. He raised his claws above his head. "Scissor Arms Omega Cubed!" he shouted. His physical strength suddenly tripled and he began to bash and punch Myotismon with all of his might, causing even the towering Mega to stumble backwards. Eventually, however, his burst of power wore out, and the vampire began his own barrage of physical attacks.

            The Chosen watched with horrified interest. Each one glanced over their shoulders to the Digital Gate, then back at the battle. Dingo glanced over to Yuri, who was staring back at him. The two young men glanced to their Jogressed partner, then over their shoulders to the Chosen and their injured digimon partners. They glanced at one another one final time and nodded.

            "Hey, you guys!" Dingo shouted, "Ya gotta get back ta Earth!"

            "What?" Jyou gasped.

            "He is right," Yuri said, "You are too hurt, we will handle this!"

            "He's too strong!" Keiko shouted, "You won't survive! Let us help you!"

            "Please," Hikari said.

            The Australian man turned to the short-haired young woman. "Hikari, your brother's unconscious, aren't you worried about gettin' him some help? What about Yamato, and Miayag?"

            Hikari hesitated. She then turned to her brother, who was resting on Jyou's back. "I…I…"

            Michael glanced at Yamato, who was resting on his own back. He took a deep breath. "I think we need to leave."

            Mimi twirled to him. "What?"

            He sighed again. "Look, I don't want to leave either, but…Dingo's right, GranDracmon's attack hurt us too much, we've got no choice!"

            "Hurry!" Yuri shouted, "Do it now while Ookuwamon X has him distracted!"

            The others were hesitant, but eventually agreed as well. Hikari reluctantly opened the gate and they soon escaped from the Dark Area, all except for Dingo, Yuri and their combined partner. Myotismon chuckled devilishly.

            "You should have left with the others," he laughed, "For soon I will kill you, and then I will head to Earth and destroy them as well. You have only prolonged their suffering!"

            Dingo grinned. "Ya don't scare us, man. Ookuwamon, tear him apart!"

            Ookuwamon X raised his claws above his head and slashed them into the side of Myotismon. The vampire floated into the air and created streams of red energy from his hands. "Crimson Lightning!"

            He whipped the beams of energy around, striking the beetle repeatedly on the top of the head. Ookuwamon X did not appear injured, however, and grabbed the vampire within the pincers of his left hand only. He raised his right hand, ready to strike, however, Myotismon created another Crimson Lightning in his left hand and maneuvering with his wrist to slash the underside of the beetle's chin. The cumulative attacks had taken their toll, and Ookuwamon X split back into his two previous forms; but, even injured as he was, he only regressed to his Adult forms of Kuwagamon X and Gesomon X.

            "I don't understand," Dingo blinked.

            "Maybe it is because he was newly evolved?" Yuri suggested, "He did not have enough energy to hold their form, but still enough to remain in their Adult levels?"

            "It doesn't matter," Myotismon grinned, "I will still kill you both!" He formed another Crimson Lighting, this time in the form of a laser beam, which pierced Gesomon X's head and through the backside. The squid trembled for a moment before falling onto his face. He glowed brightly, and devolved to Ganimon X. Myotismon however over to execute a kill-hit, but Kuwagamon X appeared before him and forced him back. Dingo grabbed his partner.

            "You must leave," Yuri said.

            "I'm not goin' anywhere!" he shouted, "You're not strong enough now!"

            "He speaks the truth!" Myotismon laughed, "Prepare to die! Crimson Lightning!"

            He began to gather energy in the palms of his hands, but Kuwagamon X charged forward, his claw glowing with energy. "Crunch Arm!"

            The beetle charged forward while the vampire readied his attack. Dingo and Yuri both held their breaths…

111

            When the Chosen fled the Dark Area, they had arrived on Earth once again in Jyou's apartment. The Daughters of the First had been waiting in Taichi and Hikari's apartment, which was lucky, because they combined Chosen barely fit as it was. They had only a few moments to collect themselves before Jyou's desktop computer once again began to glow brightly, ejecting two figures onto the floor.

            "Dingo!" Hikari shouted, "Where's…where's Yuri?"

            The Australian man sighed deeply. "He…he and Kuwagamon X fought Myotismon ta the end, but…they….they didn't make it…"

            Hikari and Mimi both gasped. "What?" Michael shouted, "What happened?"

            Dingo was hardly able to even speak. "M…Myotismon was about ta attack, then Yuri and Kuwagamon ran forward and…" He twisted his head to the side, "…there was an explosion, Myotismon's gone, but…so's Yuri and Kuwagamon. They're…they're gone…"

            Michael and Jyou could only stare forward, a dull expression on their faces, while Mimi and Hikari were crying softly. Their digimon were hugging each other tightly .The X-Chosen could only relieve the horror and sadness as, once again, they were forced to accept that one of their friends, was gone forever.


	22. The Eyes of Darkness

_"History is the **devil**'s scripture" __Lord Byron _

The Eyes of Darkness

            There was once two planes of existence, the 'real' one and the digital one. The digital plane consisted of the Digital World, and its three moons, but now, the Digital World was dead, destroyed by the Demon Lords: dark doubles of the Chosen, created by the digimon named GranDracmon. And now, the self-proclaimed Lord of Vampires, the ruler of the Dark Area, had created four more doubles, they would usher in his domination of the human world, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

            GranDracmon sat within his throne room, staring down at the four figures standing before him. He turned to each one and named them in turn, "Oiri, Horsemen of Famine, Asm, Horsemen of Pestilence, Matut, Horsemen of War, Kirahi, Horsemen of Death, welcome."

            They bowed deeply and rose to face their master. The Vampire King continued, "I have created you from the dark data brought to me when each of your 'true' forms perished, you are perfect in body, but in mind, you are not yet ready to precede in your mission. I will now give to you the information that you will require. Let us start at the beginning!"

            He waved his hand and the room turned black. Soon, pinholes of light appeared in the darkness.

GranDracmon began to speak. "The beginnings of what would eventually become the Digital World started in the Industrial Revolution. The planet of Earth was overwhelmed with energy, electrical and mechanical, that was generated by the devices of production. This energy soon collected within a new realm, and there it remained, collecting and gathering, until the year 1939, when the Atanasoff-Berry Computer was completed. It was the creation of this device that laid the foundations for the Digital World, which was further shaped and molded by the invention of ENIAC, Electronic and Numeric Integrator And Computer. These two computing devices together created the Digital Universe, and the mechanical and electrical energy that had been collecting since the Industrial Revolution now merged together. The Digital World was soon born, a lone body within the vastness of Digital Space."

            A planet soon appeared within the sea of darkness. Creatures began to multiply on the strange orb, many on the surface, and a smaller population within the skys.

            GranDracmon continued. "And so, the Digital World was silent, that is, until the first digimon appeared, collections of data that formed and multiplied. As the data originated in a variety of forms, so did the first digimon, but most were good and just beings, and as they added more data to themselves, they evolved and grew stronger. Soon, a healthy population of digimon lived in the Digital World, while they were protected by the angelic digimon, but, as there is a positive, there must also come a negative…" He leaned closer and smirked, "_Me!"_

            He closed his eyes, as if recalling a long-buried memory. "I do not recall exactly when my data was formed, but I do recall that I as I wandered the Digital World, I looked to the realm of the angels with envy, why should they live in such splendor? I wanted to walk through that realm with every fiber of my being, but I would not be invited. And so, I decided, if I could not walk through that paradise, that paradise would no longer exist. I would annihilate it! Using my power of persuasion, I enticed an angel of the highest rank, his name was Lucemon. He was one of the angelic nobles, to put it simply, a politician."

            A small creature appeared on the orb, a child, with eight wings. He was speaking before a large group of similar angelic creatures. As he spoke, the assembly listened with ever increasing interest.

"I only opened his eyes to the truth, for although he was of a high-rank, he was not of the highest. I asked him why he was forced to bow before the other angels, when he could very well be as powerful as them. I convinced him that a new world needed to be created, one where there would be no 'good' or 'evil.' He agreed, and began to preach my message to others. Many headed my call, but, an unfortunate…consequence, was that these angelic digimon fell, and they became demonic creatures, but six of them grew stronger then the others: Demon, Lilithmon, Barbamon, Leviamon, Belphemon, and Beelzebumon. Along with Lucemon, they became my seven great fallen angels, the leaders of our demonic army."

            Lucemon soon transformed, changed into a more mature version, with his left side black, leathery wings, and his right side retaining the angelic white. He was joined by six others: one a demonic monkey with bat wings, another a woman in a sexual pose, another an elderly man in robes, another was a snoring giant, another was a lumbering crocodile, and the last was a man carrying two shotguns.

GranDracmon frowned. "Our rebellion was instantly discovered, and our war began earlier then expected. It lasted for months, with many casualties on both sides, and just when it appeared that we would win…we were soundly defeated, and my seven fallen angels were reduced to their Digitamas, and, although I loathe to admit it, my power had been greatly decreased, but they could not destroy me, instead, those three great angels, Seraphimon, the Angel of the Day, Ophanimon, the Angel of the Twilight, and Cherubimon, the Angel of the Night, used their combined powers, and sealed me within this…this Dark Area, deep within the core of the Digital World. The consequence was that they lost their lives in that act. Heh…"

            The seven fallen angels, along with GranDracmon, battled the angelic forces, lead by the three Great Angels. Soon, they demons died, one by one, until only the Vampire King was left. He was placed within a sphere inside the core of the Digital World, while the three angels hovered above the planet, sending waves of energy into the Dark Area. As they did, they began to rotate, orbiting the sphere below them. Soon, all three angels turned to statues, still sending their heavenly energy at the planet below.

            GranDracmon clenched his fists together. "But I survived, though bound and trapped within this decaying world, but I retained that Digitamas of my seven great fallen angels, and I would not be defeated so easily, but trapped here, I would be forced to rely on others to do my bidding. I was able to influence those on the surface, but my righteous conquest was not ignored. The powers of the heavenly realm called the first humans to this world, the ones that are now called, "The First Chosen."

On the image of the Digital World, a group of young adults appeared, six men and three women. Behind them were large dragons of terrifying power. GranDracmon mentioned to each one and called them by name. He pointed to a man wearing a white t-shirt and loose pants. "Jiro Kaji, known as Hidokoro, and his partner, Holydramon. Warrior of Fire/

            He pointed to a blond who was wearing a white business suit. "Duval Rupert, known as Lucien, and his partner Godramon. Warrior of Light."

            Another man was slightly dark skinned and had a rough beard. He was wearing baggy brown pants, and a white shirt. "Adelio Monteneg, known as Montenegro, and his partner Cannon Dramon. Warrior of Earth."

Another man had shaggy brown hair and was dress in jeans and a gray t-shirt. "Zorion Ramiro, known as Glaucio and his partner, Chaosdramon, Warrior of Metal."

The last young man had dark skin and was wearing robes and had a turban wrapped around his head. "Alem Genet, known as Abungu, and his partner Megidramon, Warrior of Forest."

The first of the young women had flowing brown hair and was wearing a bright blue dress. "Amanda Chailyn, known as Kendra, her partner Gigaseadramon, Warrior of Water."

Another woman had blond hair and was dressed in a black dress and fur jacket. "Zilya Mishca, known as Svetlana, her partner was Alforce V-dramon, Warrior of Wind."

The last woman had jet black hair and was draped in a tight-fitting red dress, embroidered with flowers. "Fai Shan, known as Daiyu, and her partner Darkdramon, Warrior of Darkness."

            Standing behind them was a much younger man, wearing an outfit similar to the one worn by Hidokoro. "And the last was their leader, Haruki Makato, known as Yuushi, his partner was Imperial Dramon, and he was the Warrior of Fate."

            The Vampire King continued, "Through an error in reality, each was given control over an element that comprised the Digital World. I realized that if I took that power, I could use it to destroy the Digital World and release the Dark Area!"

            GranDracmon waved his hand and the First Chosen vanished, replaced by a demonic creature with a terrifying face. "I enticed the ruler of the Empire of Ceria, Murmixmon. I gave him the knowledge and power to construct a device called the Soul Catcher, which he could use to steal the energy from the First Chosen." He frowned, "He did not. He had broken free of my control and sealed away the Soul Catcher within a temple in the Desert of Asharlara. He still annihilated the First Chosen's Empire, forcing them to flee to Earth."

            An image of the Center Island, abandoned and destroyed appeared.

            The Vampire King sighed and continued. "I was then forced to wait an eternity until the next generation of the Chosen arrived: Taichi Yagami, Yamato Ishida, Sora Takenouchi, Koushiro Izumi, Mimi Tachikawa, Jyou Kido, Takeru Takaishi and Hikari Yagami. I watched with hate and loathing, that is, until, Taichi Yagami received his crest, and his arrogance over took him, he forced his digimon partner, Agumon, to evolve, and the result was an evolution with a corrupted crest. Although he was able to regain his senses, the negative energy from his Crest of Courage floated down to my realm. It was a simple matter to store it. I soon realized that if the other Chosen could experience, at least once, the opposite trait of their crest, then that corrupted energy would gather here. I waited and watched, and more then once, used my hypnotic power to 'help' the Chosen display and experience the opposing trait of their crests. As Taichi Yagami experienced Pride, so did Yamato Ishida experience Wrath during his battle with Yagami, Koushiro Izumi displayed Greed during his investigation before Datamon, Mimi Tachikawa experienced Envy during his time in the Gekomon's Castle, Jyou Kido displayed Sloth when he did not want to leave Digitamamon's Diner. I was forced to wait another three years before Gluttony and Lust were created. The first night that Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida spent together, she experienced Lust for him, and Takeru Takaishi had lost most of the power he had during his first adventure, and he craved that power again, thus, Gluttony was born. I had my demonic crests, now, I only needed demonic Chosen. I was contemplating how, when fate intervened on my behalf."

            The image of the Digital World was soon covered with Chosen and digimon, missing limbs and sections of their bodies. They lay in the streets, sick and dying. "A computer virus named the W32.Delalot.B.Trojan, which was designed to destroy the files on a computer's hard drive. However, it mutated, and began to attack the digital information in the digimons' bodies, as well as the Chosen. They named this mutated virus, the Second Black Death, or BD-2.  A cure was eventually developed, the X-Antibody, however, only 90 percent of the Chosen population proved to be compatible: Taichi and Hikari Yagami, Yamato Ishida, Jyou Kido, Michael and Mimi Barton, Dingo Hogan and Yuri Rutskoy are among the few X-Chosen that have no fear of the virus."

"Hundreds of Chosen were infected, and even more perished as a result of that disease, including the Chosen known as: Daisuke Motomiya, Koushiro Izumi, Miyako Inoe, Ken Ichijoji and Takeru Takashi. Taichi Yagami and Sora Takenouchi had both died previously, but had been resuscitated moments later, yet, mysteriously, their 'data' still gathered within the Dark Area. Using the data from all seven, I gave to them the corrupted crests and to them I gave my seven demon generals as partners. I named them, the Demon Lords!"

            The image changed to display all seven Demon Lords, each one with their demonic partners behind them. "Karetu of Gluttony, partner Beelzebumon, Enk of Sloth, partner Belphemon, Amikyo of Envy, partner of Leviamon, Shiokuro of Greed, partner of Barbamon, Asro of Lust, partner of Lilithmon, Seiduka of Wrath, partner of Demon, and their leader, Cahiti, partner of Lucemon. My great Demon Lords!"

            The vampire lord laughed. "And I had the perfect mission for them, to steal the power from the descendants of the First Chosen! Through careful controlling of certain individuals, I was able to gain the knowledge of the descendants of the First Chosen. I admit I was surprised to discover that Sora Takenouchi was the granddaughter of Hidokoro, as she had not displayed any sort of ability or power, yet if I wanted that energy, I would need to awaken it, but how? She, along with most of the Chosen population, had contracted BD-2. Their bodies were fighting that infection with all of their might, they was overtaxed and overwhelmed. If their bodies could be pushed even further, perhaps even close to death, then maybe, instinctively, that power would be released."

            He waved his hand and the image of the Demon Lords changed to the Daughters of the First, each one with an image of their corresponding grandparent behind them.  "Sora Takenouchi, granddaughter of Hidokoro, Catherine Rupert, granddaughter of Lucien, Noriko Kawada, granddaughter of Daiyu, Anna Danika, granddaughter of Svetlana, Lynna Jeffry, granddaughter of Kendra, Maria Silvano, granddaughter of Montenegro, Iduia Ramiro, granddaughter of Glaucio, and Keeya Genet, granddaughter of Abungu. I sent my Demon Lords to bring each Daughter to the brink of death, which awakened the power that they inherited from their grandparents. After an eternity, I had the power to finally free myself, however, even with the Dark Area revealed, I would not be able to pass through the dimensional barrier. I would need strength that I could not acquire on my own."

            He waved his hand and the images of the Daughters of the First changed to an image of a young woman draped in a sleeveless white dress and pinkish orange cape. "When the data of Taichi Yagami and Sora Takenouchi arrived in this realm, I had full access to their data and DNA. Through observations of that data, I was able to discover that Takenouchi held the same type as Hidokoro, and Yagami held the same as Yuushi. Taichi and Hikari Yagami were the grandchildren of Yuushi, yet, neither of them displayed the same power as the First Chosen leader. Even Hikari Yagami's impressive power was only a result of her Crest of Light, yet, I was interested in discovering if there were any other children of Yuushi. I discovered that Yuushi had _two_ daughters, Yuuko, the eldest, was the mother of Taichi and Hikari, but Kumiko, the younger, migrated to America during her teen years, and, although she was dead, she had a daughter, named Megumi Seisou. I found her in the Digital World, ready to end her life. I contacted her, and gave her power based on those of her cousins, and so, I renamed her Chihi Miayag. I gave her the mission of gathering a congregation of worshipers, so that their prayers and energy would be given to me, so that I would gain enough strength to smash through the barrier and claim Earth as my own!"

            He sighed, "However, Miayag became too curious, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she discovered me, so I called her here first, and revealed myself to her. Of course, now that she and her cousins know of me, she will not continue her leadership of the Digitalatri, and with my Demon Lords destroyed by the X-Chosen, it is time to create new soldiers: you, my Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, you will follow my word, and free me from this prison! And I will rule Earth for all time!"

            He once again waved his hand, and the room was suddenly filled with images of every person that had so far been described: the X-Chosen, the Daughters of the First, the Digitalatri, the Demon Lords, the First Chosen and the Chosen Council. "Now," GranDracmon continued, "I will now be giving you completely biographical information on the various people I have so far mentioned. Listen carefully and record them in your minds…"

**_People:_**

****

**The X-Chosen**

****

**NAME:** Taichi Yagami

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** Student, soccer coach

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** November 22, 1988

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Susumu, father, Yuuko, mother, Haruki "Yuushi" Makato, grandfather, (deceased)  Hikari, sister

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** High School, currently completing courses for degree in political science

**HEIGHT:** 5' 6"

**WEIGHT:** 160 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Crest of Courage, X-Antibody, Katana of Hidokoro, Fire from Sora Takenouchi, Earth from Maria Silvano

**DIGIMON:** Agumon X-Greymon X-Metalgreymon X-Wargreymon X

1

**NAME:** Hikari Yagami

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 22

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** Teacher

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** April 25, 1990

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Susumu, father, Yuuko, mother, Haruki "Yuushi" Makato, grandfather, (deceased) Taichi, brother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** Bachelors in Education

**HEIGHT:** 5' 2"

**WEIGHT:** 120 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Crest of Light, X-Antibody, Wind from Anna Danika

**DIGIMON:** Plotmon X-Tailmon X-Nefertimon X

1

**NAME:** Yamato Ishida

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese/French

**OCCUPATION:** Musician

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** March 12, 1988

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Hiroaki Ishida, father, Natsuko Takashi, mother, Michael Takashi, grandfather, Takeru, brother (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 150 lbs

**EYES:** blue

**HAIR:** blond

**POWER:** Crest of Friendship, X-Antibody, Airgun of Lucien, Darkness from Noriko Kawada, Light from Catherine Rupert

**DIGIMON:** Gabumon X-Garurumon X-Weregarurumon X-Metalgarurumon X

1

**NAME:** Jyou Kido

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 25

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** student, digital physician

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** January 2, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** mother and father, Shin, brother, Shuu, brother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** high school, medical coursework completed

**HEIGHT:** 5' 8"

**WEIGHT:** 165 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** bluish brown

**POWER:** Crest of Faith, X-Antibody, Water from Lynna Jeffry

**DIGIMON:** Gomamon X-Tylomon X-Anomalocarimon X

1

**NAME:** Mimi "Tachikawa" Barton

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** Cook

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** September 25, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Keisuke, father Satoe, mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, New York Chosen, (former), X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** Culinary degree

**HEIGHT:** 5'4"

**WEIGHT:** 122 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Crest of Purity, X-Anitbody, Forest from Keeya Genet

**DIGIMON:** Palmon X-Togemon X-Lillymon X

1

**NAME:** Michael Barton

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** American

**OCCUPATION:** Movie producer

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Hollywood, California, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** February 1, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Mark Barton, father, Amanda Barton, mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** New York Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** Masters in Economics

**HEIGHT:** 5' 7"

**WEIGHT:** 150 lbs

**EYES:** Blue

**HAIR:** Blond

**POWER:** X-Antibody, Metal from Iduia Ramiro

**DIGIMON:** Betamon X-Seadramon X-Megaseadramon X

1

**NAME:** Yuri Rutskoy

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** Russian

**OCCUPATION:** None

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Bratsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia

**DATE OF BIRTH:** March 5, 1988

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father and mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Siberian Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** high school, some college courses

**HEIGHT:** 5' 6"

**WEIGHT:** 154 lbs

**EYES:** Blue

**HAIR:** Blond

**DIGIMON:** Kokuwamon X-Kuwagamon X-Ookuwamon X (Jogress with Gesomon X)

1

**NAME:** Dingo Hogan

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 21

**ETHNICITY:** Australian

**OCCUPATION:** none

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

**DATE OF BIRTH:** September 26, 1991

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father, mother, older brother, younger sister

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Australian Chosen, former, X-Chosen, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5' 3"

**WEIGHT:** 130 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**DIGIMON:** Ganimon X-Gesomon X-Ookuwamon X (Jogress with Kuwagamon X)

1

**NAME:** Mina Ashiawayra DI397

**GENDER:** female

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** Indian

**OCCUPATION:** student

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India

**DATE OF BIRTH:** August 30, 1988

**KNOWN RELATIVES:**

**GROUP AFFILIATION:**

**EDUCATION:** Degree in Computer Science and Ancient Civilizations

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 120 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**DIGIMON:** Candmon-Meramon

****

**The Daughters of the First**

**NAME:** Sora Takenouchi JO223

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** Fashion designer

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** October 30, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Haruhiko, father, Toshiko, mother, Jiro "Hidokoro" Kaji, grandfather (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** University of Tokyo

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 136 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** reddish orange

**POWER:** Fire

**DIGIMON:** Pyiomon-Birdramon

1

**NAME:** Maria Silvano, NY154

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 19

**ETHNICITY:** Latin American

**OCCUPATION:** Wanderer, student

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** New York, New York, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** May 3, 1994

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Hector, father, Adonia, mother, Adelio "Montenagro" Montenag grandfather (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** New York Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** High school

**HEIGHT:** 4' 9"

**WEIGHT:** 98 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Earth

**DIGIMON:** Patamon-Centarumon

**BIO:**

1

**NAME:** Noriko Kawada JO324

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 20

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese/Chinese

**OCCUPATION:** None

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** August 31, 1993

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Shiguen, father, Jia Li, mother, Fai "Daiyu" Shan, grandmother (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Odabia Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:**  5' 3"

**WEIGHT:** 126 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Darkness

**DIGIMON:** Plotmon-Black Tailmon

1

**NAME:** Catherine Rupert FP312

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** French

**OCCUPATION:** none, heiress

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Valenciennes, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

**DATE OF BIRTH:** December 3, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Henri, father, Violet, mother, Duval "Lucien" Rupert, grandfather (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Paris Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** high school, private college

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 129 lbs

**EYES:** blue

**HAIR:** blond

**POWER:** Light

**DIGIMON:** Floramon-Kiwimon

1

****

**NAME:** Anna Danika RM 187

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** Russian

**OCCUPATION:** Artist

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Moscow, Russia

**DATE OF BIRTH:** January 9, 1988

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Arkadiy, father, Natala, mother, Zilya "Svetlana" Mishca, grandfather (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Moscow Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** High School

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 132 lbs

**EYES:** blue

**HAIR:** blond

**POWER:** Wind

**DIGIMON:** Penmon-Unimon

1

**NAME:** Lynna Jeffry SS 230

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** Australian

**OCCUPATION:** Model

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Sydney, Australia

**DATE OF BIRTH:** June 10, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** John, father, Megan, mother, Amanda "Kendra" Chailyn grandmother (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Australian Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** High School

**HEIGHT:** 5' 2"

**WEIGHT:** 108 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Water

**DIGIMON:** Gizamon-Ebidramon

1

**NAME:** Iduia Ramiro BB145

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 25

**ETHNICITY:** Brazilian

**OCCUPATION:** Vendor, metalworker

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Brasilia, Brazil

**DATE OF BIRTH:** September 23, 1987

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Inigo, father, Aitana, mother, Zorion "Glaucio" Ramiro, grandfather (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Brazil Chosen, former

**EDUCATION:** High School

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 153 lbs (with metal implants)

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Metal

**DIGIMON:** Kokuwamon-Guardromon

1

**NAME:** Keeya Genet AS 244

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** African

**OCCUPATION:** none

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Omdurman, Sudan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** March 7, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Duka, father, Abeni, mother, Alem "Abungu" Genet, grandfather, (deceased)

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** none

**EDUCATION:** No formal schooling

**HEIGHT:** 5' 7"

**WEIGHT:** 115 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** black

**POWER:**  Forest

**DIGIMON:** Mushmon-Red Veggiemon

**The Digitalari**

**NAME:** Chihi Miayag (Megumi Seisou)

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 19

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese American

**OCCUPATION:** Priestess

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** West Los Angeles, California, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** April 11, 1993-Easter Sunday

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Masato, father, Kumiko, mother, Yuuko, aunt Haruki Makato, grandfather, (deceased)  Taichi, cousin, Hikari, cousin

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Digitalatri

**EDUCATION:** High School

**HEIGHT:** 5' 3"

**WEIGHT:** 130 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**POWER:** Staff of Yuushi, Crest of Fate

**DIGIMON:** Plotmon-Witchmon-Bastemon-Kuzuhamon

****

**1**

**NAME:** Hiroshi Shibya

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 20

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** May 23, 1993

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** mother and father

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Dark Seed, Odaiba Chosen, former, Digitalatri, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5' 3"

**WEIGHT:** 157 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**DIGIMON:** Blue Meramon-Piedmon

****

1

**NAME:** Keiko Shingu

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 20

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** February 12, 1993

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father and mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Dark Seed, Odaiba Chosen former, Digitalatri, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5'3"

**WEIGHT:** 145 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** light brown

**POWER:**

**DIGIMON:** Garbamon-Pinocchimon

1

**NAME:** Takashi Yuske

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 16

**ETHNICITY:** Japanese

**OCCUPATION:** soilder

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Tokyo, Japan

**DATE OF BIRTH:** January, 15, 1996

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father and mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Dark Seed, Odaiba Chosen, former, Digitalatri, current

**EDUCATION:** some high school

**HEIGHT:** 4' 10"

**WEIGHT:** 110 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** light brown

**POWER:**

**DIGIMON:** Metaltyrannomon- Mugen Dramon

1

**NAME:** Tatum Heany

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 21

**ETHNICITY:** Irish American

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Detroit, Michigan, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** June 7, 1993

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father and mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** New York Chosen, former, Digitalatri, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5'3"

**WEIGHT:** 130 lbs

**EYES:** blue

**HAIR:** light brown

**DIGIMON:** Archnemon

1

**NAME:** Sam Anderson

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 21

**ETHNICITY:** African American

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** New York, New York, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** November 17, 1993

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father, mother, older brother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** New York Chosen, former, Digitalatri, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 148 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** black

**DIGIMON:** Mummymon

1

**NAME:** James Masters

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 27

**ETHNICITY:** British

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** London, England

**DATE OF BIRTH:** April 19, 1985

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father, mother, younger brother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Digitalatri

**EDUCATION:** college degree in economics

**HEIGHT:** 6' 1"

**WEIGHT:** 186 lbs

**EYES:** blue

**HAIR:** blond

**POWER:**

**DIGIMON:** Waruseadramon-Metalseadramon

1

**NAME:** Vicente Lobo

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** Mexican

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Mexico City, Mexico

**DATE OF BIRTH:** October 2, 1989

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father, mother

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Mexican Chosen, former, Digitalatri, current

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 150 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:**

**DIGIMON:** Skull Satanmon

**The Chosen Council**

**NAME:** Victor Von Schmidt

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 22

**ETHNICITY:** German

**OCCUPATION:** Business student, Security General of the Chosen Council

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Berlin, Germany

**DATE OF BIRTH:** September 29, 1990

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** parents, deceased

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Chosen Council

**EDUCATION:** high school, college courses

**HEIGHT:** 5' 6"

**WEIGHT:** 141 lbs

**EYES:** Blue

**HAIR:** Blond

**DIGIMON:** Gaomon-Gaogamon-Machgaogamon

1

**NAME:** Raven Marie Osborn

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 21

**ETHNICITY:** American

**OCCUPATION:** student, Secretary to the Security General of the Chosen Council

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** January 20, 1991

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** father, mother, older sister

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Chosen Council

**EDUCATION:** high school

**HEIGHT:** 5' 2"

**WEIGHT:** 120 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**DIGIMON:** Lalamon-Sunflowmon-Lilamon

****

**1**

**NAME:** Ivan Kragoff

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 23

**ETHNICITY:** Russian

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Moscow, Russia

**DATE OF BIRTH:** October 13, 1989

**HEIGHT:** 6' 3"

**WEIGHT:** 161 lbs.

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**POWER:** Darkness

**DIGIMON:** Karetenmon/Reichmon

**NAME:** Sebastian Pierce

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 21

**ETHNICITY:** Australian

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Sydney, Australia

**DATE OF BIRTH:** December 10, 1991

**HEIGHT:** 5' 8"

**WEIGHT:** 15 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**POWER:** Forest

**DIGIMON:** Dino Beemon/Trojamon

1

**NAME:** Madelyn Frost

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** 20

**ETHNICITY:** British

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** London, England

**DATE OF BIRTH:** February 27, 1992

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 123 lbs

**EYES:** Blue

**HAIR:** Blond

**POWER:** Water

**DIGIMON:**  Blue Meramon/Mermaimon

1

**NAME:** Samuel Sterns

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** 24

**ETHNICITY:** American

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** New York City, New York, United States of America

**DATE OF BIRTH:** March 9, 1988

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 154 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**POWER:** Earth

**DIGIMON:** Sagittarimon/Volcamon

**The Demon Lords**

**NAME:** Cahiti, the Demon King

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 24

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** Ruler, conqueror

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Taichi Yagami, 'true' self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 6"

**WEIGHT:** 160 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**POWER:** Pride, Fire, Light, Wind, Water, Darkness, Earth, Forest, Metal

**DIGIMON:** Lucemon-Lucemon Falldown Mode-Lucemon Satan Mode

1

**NAME:** Seiduka, the Demon General

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 22

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** General

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Daisuke Motomiya, 'true' self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 157 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Brown

**POWER:** Wrath, Metal

**DIGIMON:** Demon

1

**NAME:** Asro, the Demon Queen

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 24

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** Ruler, warrior

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Sora, 'true' self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5'5"

**WEIGHT:** 136 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Red

**POWER:** Lust, Wind

**DIGIMON:** Lilithmon

1

**NAME:** Shiokuro, the Demon Vizer

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 23

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** Researcher

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Koushiro Izumi, 'true' self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 2"

**WEIGHT:** 138 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Red

**POWER:** Greed, Darkness

**DIGIMON:** Barbamon

1

**NAME:** Amikyo, the Demon Princess

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 23

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** none, warrior

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Miyako Inoe, 'true' self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 3"

**WEIGHT:** 125 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Pink

**POWER:** Envy, Water

**DIGIMON:** Leviamon

1

**NAME:** Enk, the Demon Watcher

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 22

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** None, warrior

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Ken Ichijoji, true self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 4"

**WEIGHT:** 155 lbs

**EYES:** Brown

**HAIR:** Bluish brown

**POWER:** Sloth, Forest

**DIGIMON:** Belphamon

1

**NAME:** Karetu

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Inapplicable, looks 22

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** Hunter, warrior

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Takeru Takashi, 'true' self

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Demon Lords

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 153 lbs

**EYES:** Blue

**HAIR:** Blond

**POWER:** Gluttony, Earth

**DIGIMON:** Beelzebubmon

**The Four Horsemen:**

**NAME:** Kirahi

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** Looks about 22

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** General, Priestess

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Hikari Yagami, 'true self"

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Four Horsemen

**EDUCATION:** None

**HEIGHT:** 5' 2"

**WEIGHT:** 120 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Death

**DIGIMON:** Deathmon

1

**NAME:** Matut

**GENDER:** Female

**AGE:** Looks about 21

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** General

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Tatum Heany, 'true self'

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Four Horsemen

**EDUCATION:** none

**HEIGHT:** 5'3"

**WEIGHT:** 130 lbs

**EYES:** blue

**HAIR:** light brown

**POWER:** War

**DIGIMON:** Zanbamon

1

**NAME:** Asm

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Looks 21

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** solider

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Sam Anderson 'True self"

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Four Horsemen

**EDUCATION:** none

**HEIGHT:** 5' 5"

**WEIGHT:** 148 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** black

**POWER: **Pestilence

**DIGIMON:** Venom Myotismon

1

**NAME:** Oiri

**GENDER:** Male

**AGE:** Looks about 18

**ETHNICITY:** Demonic

**OCCUPATION:** soldier

**PLACE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**DATE OF BIRTH:** Inapplicable

**KNOWN RELATIVES:** Iori Hida 'true self'

**GROUP AFFILIATION:** Four Horsemen

**EDUCATION:** none

**HEIGHT:** 4' 11"

**WEIGHT:** 115 lbs

**EYES:** brown

**HAIR:** brown

**POWER:** Famine

**DIGIMON:** Galfmon

**_Places:_**

**Ylicis**: A city in the Eastern Continent where a large population of Infected Chosen had resided. Noriko Kawada, Hiroshi Shibya, Keiko Shingu and Takashi Yuuske once lived there.

**New Havenwood:** A city in the Western Continent. It was a prosperous city. Mimi and Michael Barton protected it and Iduia Ramiro took up residence there. This was the city where the Chosen Council began their Chosen Council Executive Order #0045.

**Zeradza:** A city in the Northern Continent. It was a remote town, so its population was low, Yuri Rutskoy, and Anna Danika resided there. Maria Silvano was sent to Zeradza's Relocation Center.

**Ausata:** A city in the southern side of the Eastern Continent. It relied on its fishing and tourism for income. It was later converted to a Relocation Center, and Iduia Ramiro was sent there.

**Cer/Nightsun:** This ancient city has been called two names throughout its existence. It once housed the Empire of Ceria,  and kept the Staff of Yuushi and the Machina Codex save until Miayag freed them.

**Desert**** of Asharlara****** A mysterious desert in the center of the Eastern Continent. The Demon Lords base was housed here.

**Curia Hostilia, Form Magnum Island:** The headquarters of the Chosen Council.

**Terms:**

**W32.Delalot.B.Trojan:** A Trojan Horse that attempts to delete all files on a computer's hard drive. It eventually mutated to a hideous virus that caused a pandemic to the Chosen and digimon.

**Black Death-2 (BD-2):** A deadly virus spreading through the Chosen population. As it mutated from a computer threat designed to destroy all files on a hard drive, the BD-2 eats away at the digital information of what ever it attacks. Digimon and Chosen infected have their bodies literally eaten away. For at least 90 percent of the Chosen, there is no cure. Infected Chosens' digimon also cannot evolve.

**Synthetic Digital Energy Accelerator (S-DEA):**: A device designed to infuse digimon with artificial digital energy so they can remain on Earth. This device gives them the energy needed to stay in the real world, but leaves them weak.

**The X-Antibody:** A special program designed to cure and protect Chosen from the BD-2 virus, however, only a few digimon are compatible. The X-Antibody mutates a digimon, giving them a new appearance, attacks, evolution lines, ect. Only 10 percent of the remaining Chosen have been modified.

**Deceased Chosen:** Koushiro Izumi, Takeru Takashi, Daisuke Motomiya, Miyako Inoe, Ken Ichijoji, Iori Hida, two of the Poi Brothers from China, Lola from Russia, Steve from America.

**Infected Chosen:** Sora, from Japan, Noriko, Hiroshi, Takashi, Keiko from the Dark Seed kids, Catherine from France, Tatum, Maria and Sam from America, Mina from India


	23. The Keys of the Heavens: Chapter 1

_My name is Keiko Shingu, and I was once a soldier of the Digitalatri. I joined them a few months after becoming infected with BD-2. I joined them because they gave my hope, I felt…so certain that the older Chosen had abandoned us. They had been modified by the X-Antibody, and we had not. I felt lost, but then Lady Miayag appeared and told me the message of the Digital God, He was compassionate, He would save us…that was a lie. The Digital God turned out to be GranDracmon, a vampire demon from the beginning of the Digital World. He used us, he used the Demon Lords too, just to get what he wanted. And now…now that we know of him, we are no longer needed. I am certain that he will do whatever is necessary to silence us forever. _

_            While attempting to escape his Dark Area, Taichi Yagami, Yamato Ishida, and Lady Miayag were injured, and the one called Yuri Rutskoy was killed. His…companion, Anna Danika, is understandably devastated. However, I feel that he will be only the first in the war to come._

_"Self-sacrifice is the real miracle out of which all the reported miracles grow" Ralph Waldo Emerson_

_The Keys of the Heavens:_

_Chapter 1:_

            Anna's sobs could still be heard coming from the back room of Jyou's apartment. The Chosen and the Digitalatri tried their best to ignore it, but with every heaved cry, a blade of ice shot into their stomachs. "Poor girl…" Lynna said, "losin' him like that…"

            Sora turned to Taichi, who was lying unconscious on one section of Jyou's large couch, Yamato was on another section, while Miayag had been transferred to the guest room. The redhead walked over and gently rubbed his cheek. "He'll be okay."

            She turned and saw Maria behind her. She momentarily thought how well the Latino woman was becoming with her wheelchair, she did not even hear her move. The redhead smiled. "Yeah…"

            "I'm serious," the younger woman said, "Taichi's so strong, he'll pull through, no matter what."

            Sora smiled. "Yeah…yeah, you're right." She looked over to where Yamato was lying. Noriko and Catherine both were staring intently at him. The redhead's smile grew. "Yamato's got quite a fan club…"

            Before Maria could respond, Jyou exited from the guest room with the Digitalatri trailing behind. Hikari stood beside Sora and anxiously watched the older young man. "Well?"

            He took a deep breath, "They are all suffering from exhaustion."

            "That's all?" Michael asked.

            "Yeah," Betamon X said, "They got hit by GranDracmon pretty hard."

            Jyou shrugged slightly. "They're pretty strong, even Miayag. Once they get some rest, they'll be fine."

            Takashi turned to Betamon X. "Well, that brings up a pretty good question, what are we going to do about GranDracmon?"

            The Chosen all fell silent and stared at the floor. Thoughts were floating through their minds, thoughts they did not wish to think of, yet, could not cease. Mimi then said what they had all been thinking. "He's the strongest guy we've ever faced, I mean, not even Apocalymon was anywhere near as strong as this guy."

            "Yeah," Palmon X sighed, "I don't know how strong those angels were, but if they couldn't stop him…"

            "Angels?" Sora asked. Her mind flashed her a memory of the dream she had experienced earlier that day. She rubbed her forehead.

            "Sora?" Piyomon asked.

            "It's…it's nothing," she said, "What about those…angels?"

            Mina spoke up. "The three great angels were fabled heavenly warriors, Seraphimon of the Day, Ophanimon of the Twilight, and Cherubimon of the Night. The three moons that once orbited the Digital World are named for them."

            "That's a great history lesson," Dingo sighed, "But how does it help us now?"

            Sora rubbed her head once again, unseen by all except for Maria.

"I've got a question," Noriko said, "If the moons orbited the Digital World, then, without the actual Digital World there, then shouldn't they…I don't know, float off into space or something?"

            "They…should," Iduia said, "If…they…are…still…there…then…it…is…odd…"

            "But aren't we forgetting something?" Jyou asked, "That's the Digital World, it's doesn't abide by the same laws as this world…I mean…the entire place was wrapped into a spiral!"

            "No," Sora said "I think that's right."

            "What?" Hikari asked.

            "I had a dream last night, about angels fighting demons. I didn't understand it, until you told me about GranDracmon. The three angels, they…they sealed the demon into some kind of…of prison or something, and then they started to orbit around that prison! What if those three angels…I…I don't know, _became_ those moons or something like that!"

            James lend over to whisper into Hiroshi's ear. "Precognitive powers? Amazing…"

"That's certainly an interesting theory," Keeya said, "But, if that is true, what should we do?"

            Michael lightly rubbed his chin. "Could we plan an expedition or something? Do those moons have an atmosphere?"

            Iduia nodded. "I…believe…they…do."

            The American pondered for a moment before speaking. "Why don't we check them out?"

            "Wait a second," Keiko interrupted, "You're going to waste time looking over a moon just because Takenouchi has a dream?"

            Catherine narrowed her eyes. "Sora is ze Second Messenger, if zhe has dreams about ze three moons, zen zat is were we shall go!"

            "Second Messenger?" Hiroshi asked.

            "Something _you_ don't need to worry about!" Noriko glared.

            "That's enough!" Mimi shouted, "We have to work together right now!"

            The room was quiet for a few moments before Jyou adjusted his glasses. "All right, well, if we are going to proceed with this plan, then we're going to need to split into three groups…"

            "You mean four, right?" Sora asked, "Someone has to stay behind and watch Taichi…and Yamato and Miayag and try to convince the Digitalatri to stop worshiping GranDracmon, right?"

            "All right, four groups…" he hesitated a moment.

            "What?" Hikari asked.

            "I don't want to sound selfish or anything, but I do need to keep a certain amount of hours in the hospital to get credit for my university classes…"

            Hikari frowned. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I'll be looking for a new job after all this is over…"

            Sora stared at the two of them, then glanced over and Michael and Mimi. She smiled warmly. "Hey, don't worry, _we'll_ search those moons."

            "_We'll?_ Piyomon asked.

            "Yeah," the redhead smiled, "Us, Noriko, Catherine, Iduia, Keeya, Lynna and Maria, we'll look at those moons."

            Mimi blinked a few times. "S…sora, a…are you sure?"

            "Yes," she said, "I'm serious."

            The brown-haired woman stuttered. "B…but Sora…you…you…"

            "What?" she snapped.

            "You…" Mimi took a deep breath, "You and Maria can't even walk…"

            The redhead sighed. "Look, we haven't been much help, have we? We've just had to be rescued and protected, again and again. Well, now its our turn to protect you. Hikari, Jyou, Mimi, Michael, you all have lives to get back too. We don't know when GranDracmon's going to strike, and time can't just stop because we're waiting. We'll investigate the moons."

            Mimi was about to protest again, but Keiko interrupted her. "You know, she's right. What good are you going to be in the end?"

            "Hey!" Noriko shouted, "Sora might have to use crutches to get around, but she can still beat your ass before you even blink!"

            Hikari rose to her feet and held out her hands. Once Keiko and Noriko had turned from each other, the short-haired woman looked to the redheaded woman. "Sora, do you truly think that you and Maria will be able to handle this?"

            Sora did not answer. She recalled a conversation she and Taichi had early that day, after Mina had arrived but shortly before the others began to appear.

            _Sora gently pushed open the door to Taichi's room and found him lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was about to call out to him, but found that he was once again asleep.  She limped inside with her crutches, trying to be as quiet as possible, but she was not use to Taichi's room, so she smashed her crutches into the side of his bed. He shot awake and stared at her._

_            "I'm sorry!" she gasped._

_            He blinked. "No...it's okay. I fell asleep, didn't I?"_

_            She nodded. "But it's okay, you and Agumon are both really tired after fighting Cahiti."_

_            He yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Sora placed her crutches against the wall and climbed into bed with him. She lay her head next to his and stared at his face. He smiled._

_            "What?" she asked._

_            "I just…can't believe I never realized before how beautiful you are, like an angel…"_

_            She frowned. "I never saw many angels with red hair…"_

_            He reached over and gently brushed her spiked hair. "I love the color of your hair, I always have."_

_            She began to giggle slightly. Her smile slowly faded. "What's going to happen next? The Demon Lords are gone, but Digitalatri's still out there, but what if it's not even them? What if it's something…worse…."_

_            Taichi smiled. "Hey, don't worry, no matter what, we'll be just fine. The good guys always win."_

_            Sora stared at him. "Taichi, I'm only blind in one eye you know."_

_            He stared at her, studying her face, specifically, her bandaged eye. "You mean…?"_

_            She nodded slightly. "Yeah, I lost that eye sometime when I was prisoner."_

_            Taichi turned his head away. She stared at him for a moment before reaching over and gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere for a long…long time." she smiled. "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."_

_            She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Whatever happens, I'll always be here, right by your side, forever."_

            "Sora!"

            She blinked for a few moments, bringing her back to reality. "I'm sorry, what?"

            Hikari sighed. "Sora, do you honestly think you and Maria can handle this?"

            The redhead looked to Taichi. She nodded, "Yes, I do."

            Mimi smiled and clapped her hands together. "Okay, then I guess there's nothing left to talk about, right?"

            The redhead smiled. "Thanks guys."

            Catherine stood by her side. "So, what's the plan?"

            She blinked. "I…um…I guess…"

            Keiko snickered. "Didn't think that through, huh?"

            Noriko glared at her. "I'm warning you, say something like that one more time, and you'll be hanging from the roof with your thong wrapped around the flagpole!"

            The room fell silent. Noriko's temper had certainly become worse over the past few days. Hiroshi turned to Keiko and shook his head. The slightly overweight woman frowned. "Fine."

            Sora took a deep breath. "I guess we can split up into three groups, this way we can look at all the moons at once."

            "That's a good idea," Maria grinned. The idea of exploring a new place was exciting her. "But who's' going?"

            Sora eyed the Digitalatri. "I think they should go too."

            "What?" Noriko and Keiko shouted at the same time.

            The redhead stared at Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi and James. "Well, we can think of something else if you have other plans…but I'm betting that your weekend plans got canceled when GranDracmon revealed himself."

            Noriko smirked and lend over to Catherine. "She can fling the insults pretty good."

            The French woman blinked. "Zat was an insult?"

            The Japanese woman sighed. "I'll explain later."

            Sora spent the next few minutes dividing the group into three teams. However, Keeya had noticed that one was missing. "What about Anna?"

            "I…I don't know, do you think she should come?"

            "Yes, I do."

            All eyes turned to the hall, where the Russian woman was walking towards them. The African woman ran to her side and helped her into the room. Once she was settled, she turned to the direction in which she had heard Sora's voice. "I would like to come."

            Sora hesitated. "Y…you don't have to…."

            "Yes I do," she said, "Because I have to avenge Yuri's death, if not by destroying GranDracmon, then by helping you locate the keys to his destruction."

            The redhead turned to Noriko, who only shrugged. She nodded slowly. "All right."

            Anna began to smile. "Great," Jyou said, "But right now, what are we going to do about Taichi and the others?"

            "We can bring Taichi back to his apartment," Hikari said.

            Jyou nodded. "But Yamato doesn't have anyone to watch him…"

            "Keep 'im here," Dingo said, "Then you and I can take turns or somethin'."

            "And we'll watch Miayag," Mimi said, "My parents are out of town, so we can use their apartment."

            Keiko was going to make a comment, but decided against it.

            "All right," Sora said, glancing at the clock that was hanging on the wall, "It's pretty late, why don't we head out in the morning?"

            The other young women nodded As they began to disburse, Sora hobbled over to Noriko in the corner. "Thank you, for sticking up for me."

            She grinned and shrugged slightly. "Hey, no problem. I'm watching out for you."

            "Thanks," she said, "I think I'm going to need all the help I can get."

            The younger woman glanced around before speaking. "Hey, I mean, I think we're gonna have to stick together from now on."

            She blinked. "Why?"

            "Because of you and Taichi…and me and Yamato…"

            Sora slowly smiled. "Ah, I get it. Since our…significant others are best friends, we might as well be friends?"

            Noriko nodded. "Yeah."

            The redhead shrugged. "Sure, why not? You're pretty cool."

            She smiled. "Thanks." She then hesitated a moment and looked to the floor.

            "What?" Sora asked.

            She fidgeted. "Well…um…d…do you remember when, right after Oikawa took the Dark Spore from me, and…and I was really…I don't know, sick, because of it?"

            The redhead nodded slowly. "Yes…?"

            "Well, _you_ were the one that was holding me and kept telling me everything would be okay. And…" She took a deep breath and said very quickly, "I kinda always looked up to you!"

            Sora's face began to slowly turn red as well. She only managed a 'thank you' before both young women became too embarrassed and turned away. As she did, she found herself staring at Jyou, who was carrying Taichi on his back. James was carrying the unconscious Miayag on his back.

            The redhead cleared her throat. "Um, I'm going to head back with Hikari and Maria…"

            She nodded. "Right, um, uh, since Yamato's staying here, I guess I'm here too. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

            "Yeah, good night."

111

            The Digital World may have died, but the Second Black Death still remained, and the Chosen not modified by the X-Antibody where still at risk for infection. Despite the destruction of the digital domain, the Infected Chosen awaited the word from their prophetess, the Lady Chihi Miayagg. They had no knowledge of the events that occurred in the Dark Area only hours before, and while the X-Chosen and the Daughters of the First had made plans to warn them of GranDracmon's deception, but it was already too late. For while they worried over their injured leaders, the great vampire demon's servants had appeared on Earth, specifically New York City, where a large number of the Infected Chosen had gathered following the destruction of the Digital World.

            The young woman that stood in the midst of Central Park was definitely not Chihi Miayag, and she appeared to understand their confusion, for she raised her hand and began to speak.

            "Hear me, children of the one god," she said, "I am Kirahi, and I speak the word of the God of the Digital World!"

            "Where is Lady Miayag?" a young man asked. The Second Black Death had taken away his right arm and a few fingers on his left hand.

            "Chihi Miayag…is no longer of the faith."

            There were horrified gasps and roars from the crowd. Many Infected Chosen protested in shock. Kirahi raised her hands and the crowd silenced once more. "It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you of this, but Miayag has been sighted within the company of Yagami, Ishida, and the rest of the X-Chosen!"

            "No!" a girl without arms shouted.

            "I don't believe it!" an older man said, "She was our savior!"

            Kirahi sighed deeply. "I am sorry, truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart, but believe me, I have been appointed by the Supreme God Himself! I am your new leader."

            "How do we know what you're saying is true?" another Infected Chosen asked.

            "You dare question the will of the Digital God?" she shouted.

            The assembled group hesitated for a moment, before shaking their heads. The boy missing his right arm stepped forward. "We shall follow you."

111

            "You're leaving?"

            Sora stopped at the door to Taichi's bedroom. She slowly glanced over her shoulder and saw Taichi, sitting up in his bed. The redhead twirled to face him. "Oh, you're awake!"

            The bushy-haired young man struggled to climb out of bed, but the redheaded woman rushed to his side, despite her crutches. "Don't get up. You need to rest."

            "I don't even remember what happened," he said, rubbing his forehead, "I guess we got out of the Dark Area…" He stared directly at Sora, "Did everyone make it out?"

            She hesitated a moment. "Y…yuri…."

            Even though she did not finish that sentence, Taichi knew what she would say. He frowned. "How's Anna?"

            "Holding together."

            He nodded, but eyed her suspiciously. "Where were you going?"

            "I…uh…um…."

            Before she could stall for more time, they heard the front door open and Noriko stomp inside. "Sora, Maria!" she shouted, "We ready to go? We've got to hurry, Yamato's awake and he's about to…" She trailed off as she reached the door to Taichi's room. When she saw that Taichi was awake, she gave a slight smile.

            "Oh, h…hey Taichi, h…how are you feeling?"

            He eyed both young women. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

            Sora hesitated, but Noriko turned to her. "You might as well tell him, he's going to find out when Yamato calls him, although we might be able to leave before Yamato finds out that I unplugged his phone."

            Sora took a deep breath. "Taichi…we're going to explore the moons of the Digital World…"

            "You're what?" he gasped. He struggled to climb out of his bed, but pain shot through his body and he fell back onto his mattress.

            "Stay in bed!" Sora shouted, "You need to rest!"

            He ignored her comment. "You're going to the moons? Wh…what the hell for?"

            Without any choice, the two young women told him of their plan. He was not happy.

            "And why are you going?" he gasped, "Sora, you can barely walk!"

            "And what about you?!" she shouted, "You can't even hold your head up straight!"

            Taichi did not respond. He took a deep breath. "But Sora, I…"

            "What, Taichi, what?"

            He hesitated a moment. "All right, just be careful, and as soon as I'm well enough, I'm coming to help you, understand?"

            She grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Come on Noriko, let's get Maria and go."

            The black-haired woman nodded and exited the room. Sora turned back to Taichi. "Thank you."

            "Just get back here in one piece, okay?"

            She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You bet I will, I'm not leaving you alone."

            They hugged each other tightly before Sora exited the room. Taichi closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

111

            Deep within the Dark Area, the last surviving remnants of the Digital World, GranDracmon stared down at the three kneeling figures before him. He closed his eyes and smiled. "They have arrived."

            "Who, my lord?" the only female asked.

            "The Chosen, my dear, Matut," he replied, "They have arrived on the three moons…all three moons to be precise."

            "What shall be done, my lord?" Asm asked.

            "While Karihi continues to draw those pathetic Infected Chosen into my web, you will ensure the destruction of the Chosen on the moons. Use the power that has been given to you as my servants, for you have been Marked by GranDracmon…" He waved his arms, "Go, my children, go and annihilate them!"

            They each bowed. "Yes, My Lord."

111

            The Daughters of the First and Digitalatri had used Jyou's computer to arrive in the Digital World. Since they had split into three groups, it had been their plan to use the desktop one at a time to arrive at the locations. However, once Sora pointed her digivice at the monitor, the gate activated and pulled all of them inside. While they traversed through the dimensions, waves of unknown energy flowed around them forcing them to twist and tumble in the void. They struggled to hold to each other, but the force was too great. Light and energy swirled around them…

            "Sora! Sora!"

            The redhead groaned to herself as she slowly opened her eyes to find Piyomon staring at her. "Sora, you're finally awake! Look, she's awake!"

            Sora pushed herself into a seated position and glanced to her right, Maria was moving forward on her wheelchair, while Keeya was leading Anna behind her. "Are you okay?" the Latino woman asked.

            "I think so," she said. Her crutches had landed beside her. She used them to struggle to a standing position. Keeya ran over and helped the Japanese woman.

            "Where are we?" the African woman asked.

            Sora glanced over at a blue, barren landscape. The sky was black save only for the thousands of stars shining above. "I guess we're on one of the moons."

            "Which one?" Piyomon asked.

            "Does it really matter?" Maria's Patamon asked.

            "Where are the others?" Anna asked, "Are they near?"

            "No," Keeya answered. She spied the other two moons in the distance, "Let us hope they have arrived on the other two. In the meantime, we should determine what it is we are searching for and where it could possibly be on this…wasteland."

            The others quickly twisted their heads around as well, surveying the land stretching before them; in all directions was nothing but blue, crater-filled soil. Patamon frowned. "Well, pick a direction, it all looks the same…"

            Piyomon hovered into the air and squinted her eyes. "Guys, I see something!"

            "Where?" Sora asked.

            The pink bird pointed forward. "There some kind of mountain range or something over there, it's a few miles…"

            "Not like we have a choice," Maria frowned. She suddenly started to blush and she turned to the redheaded woman. "Sora, I'm sorry! That wasn't a complaint, I…I was just…."

            Sora smiled. "That's okay, we really don't have anywhere else to go, so, let's just go for it."

            Sora began to limp forward on her crutches while Maria pushed herself with her wheelchair. Their digimon partners fluttered beside them. As they traveled forward, Keeya realized that Anna had not said a single word since arriving on this strange, blue moon. She studied the Russian woman curiously. She had kept her hand on her Penmon's head to guide her, but her face was kept ever-forward. She remembered the strong, confident woman she had seen in Nightsun, and wondered how she had turned into the broken, scared woman beside her. She took a deep breath and approached her.

            Anna heard the African woman's feet scuffle over the cracked surface and she turned to face her. "Yes Keeya?"

            She blinked at the blind woman, staring directly at the cloth covering her eyes. "How…how did you know that…?"

            Anna shrugged. "I know Sora's is leading us because I can hear Piyomon's wings flapping at the front, while Maria's wheelchair is squeaking slightly right before me, besides, neither of them could approach so silently, and the sound of your stride was too large for Mushmon."

            She focused on Anna's last statement, and hoped to lighten the mood somewhat. "So, my footsteps were too large for Mushmon; are you saying that I am overweight?"

            "No, nothing like that, I know that when your feet touch the ground, it is softer then Sora, but louder then Lynna."

            She smiled. "Yes, that Lynna certainly appears to not eat as well as she should."

            "Yes, she does not eat as much as she should, and she attempts to hide it. I can hear her stomach rumbling, as well as smell food that is in the trash bin after she has dumped her plate."

Keeya nodded, amazed. She had met a few people that had lost their sight, but none of them had mastered their remaining senses so perfectly. However, since her plan to make Anna more comfortable had not worked, she decided to go straight to the point. "Anna, I am…"

"Sorry about Yuri?" she interrupted, "Yes, I know that you are, I know that you all are sorry that he had to die, I am sorry too, but what can be accomplished by being sorry? What must be done is action, to make those that killed him pay dearly for that!"

            She gasped, "A…anna, you…you know that you cannot be so…so vengeful! That will not bring him back!"

            "Then what am I suppose to do with this pain?!" she shouted, "No, they must suffer, like they have made me suffer!"

            Keeya did not know what more to say to her, so she silently, and sadly, continued to march forward. A head of them, Sora kept limping forward on her crutches until she had to stop for a moment.

            "What's wrong?" Maria asked.

            The redhead forced a smile as she panted. "I…I hate to admit it, b…but maybe Taichi was right…I…I'm exhausted…"

            "Then let us take a rest," Keeya suggested.

            Maria sighed deeply as she stared at the mountains in the distance. "They still seem so far," she said.

            "We will get there," the African woman said, "Do not worry."

            The younger woman nodded. "Yes, I know, but I'm afraid that…." She stopped abruptly as she stared into the sky. The others quickly twisted their head to the heavens as well. Hovering within the sky, was a massive creature, one with a four-legged furred body, and a human torso with a horned head. Standing on its back, was a figure draped in a green cloak, his hood was hanging on his back. The Daughters and their partners had heard that GranDracmon had created four more doubles, yet, they could not remember what his name was, so Sora called out the person he resembled. "Iori…"

            "'Fraid not," he said, "The name's Oiri, the Horsemen of Famine, and my partner, Galfmon."

            Keeya could feel Anna's energy start to grow. Sora and Maria seemed to have not noticed. "Why have you come here, Horseman?"

            Oiri smiled slightly. "I have my orders, you must be destroyed, nothing personal."

            Each of the Daughters grabbed their digivices and their digimon partners charged forward.

            "Piyomon evolve to Birdramon!"

            "Patamon evolve to Centarumon!"

            "Mushmon evolve to Veggiemon!"

            "Penmon evolve to Unimon!"

            Anna leapt onto Unimon's back as he and Birdramon floated into the sky. Oiri stared at them for a moment before chuckling slightly. "I don't feel like getting dirty right now, so I'll give you someone else to play with."

            He waved his hand and an explosion of dark green light erupted from the ground, revealing a hulking dinosaur-creature. "Triceramon!" Veggiemon gasped.

            "This is not good," Birdramon said, "Triceramon was strong enough to cause Daisuke and Ken's Paildramon difficulty!"

            "Exactly," Oiri chuckled, "Triceramon, tear them apart."

            The dinosaur digimon roared and charged towards Centarumon. The centaur held out his hand and a small gun barrel emerged from his palm. "Hunting Cannon!"

            His attack struck Triceramon on the face, but the dinosaur continued forward. He swung his large fists into the centaur's face, throwing him into the ground. Veggiemon leapt to his aide and began to pound the dinosaur's side with his elastic arms. Triceramon grabbed the arms and started to swing the vegetation digimon around over his head. He released his grip, sending Veggiemon crashing into Birdramon before she could execute her Meteor Wing attack.

            "Holy Shot!"

            He turned around in time to be struck in the face by Unimon's attack. Keeya had only moments to notice that Anna's lips were curled into a snarl before Triceramon attacked. "Tri-Horn Attack!"

            His triple horns fired beams of pure energy at the floating unicorn. He was not able to flee in time and was struck in the side. He hobbled for a moment, but remained in the sky. Triceramon was about to attack again, but Birdramon recovered from her assault and fired her Meteor Wing technique, striking the dinosaur on the back. He twisted around, but that left him wide open for an assault fro Centarumon's Hunting Cannon and Veggiemon's Unchi Nage technique.

            The dinosaur roared loudly and slammed his fists into the ground with such force that it sent the Daughters, Centarumon and Veggiemon to the ground. He ran over and swung both of his fists into the centaur's side.

            "Centarumon!" Maria screamed.

            Tricermon heard Unimon flying towards him from behind. He grabbed Veggiemon and threw him into the unicorn. This time, however, he was aware of the trick and flew out of the way, firing off another Holy Shot. Triceramon countered with his Tri-Horn Attack, which Unimon once again maneuvered out of the way. This time, Triceramon's attack smashed into Birdramon's chest, throwing her to the ground.

            "Bridramon!" Sora gasped, "What the hell is Anna doing? She's…it's like she's not even caring!"

            Keeya frowned, worried.

            Anna held tightly to Unimon as he dove at Triceramon. The dinosaur roared loudly and used his legs to jump high into the air, he swung his firsts into the unicorn's face, finally throwing them into the ground.

            High above them, Oiri was watching and laughing. "This was much easier then I thought it would be. Is this all the power that the Daughters of the First have to offer?"

            "They're just not strong enough," Maria gasped, "How can it be that we've got so much power that Cahiti could use it to destroy the Digital World, but we can't even beat one digimon?"

            Sora gasped. "Wait, that's it! Oh man, why didn't I think of it before!"

            "What?" Keeya asked.

            "Our power!" she gasped, "We could use it to make Taichi and the others evolve, why can't we do the same?"

            The African woman nodded. "It seems…reasonable enough…"

            Sora looked to Maria, who nodded. "Anna!" she shouted, "Use your power to make your digimon evolve!"

            Anna was silent for a moment, then said something in Russian.

            "What?"

            "_Da…da…_"

            Oiri grinned and crossed his arms.

            Each of the Daughters focused on their powers, which bubbled to the surface. However, each one could feel their BD-2 infection creep further across their bodies. They ignored it and continued to push forward using their connection to their digimon to give them the ability to evolve once more.

            "Birdramon evolve to Garudamon!"

            "Centarumon evolve to Insekimon!"

            "Veggiemon evolve to Jureimon!"

            "Unimon evolve to Hippo Gryphomon!"

            The Horseman of Famine raised his eyebrow at the newly-evolved digimon. "Very interesting, very interesting indeed."

            Sora grinned at her partner. "Great to see you again, Garudamon."

            Maria was staring at her partner, who resembled a silver-colored Gotsumon, Keeya was also amazed at how small Veggiemon was compared to the large, tree-shaped Jureimon. Anna, however, seemed completely uninterested that her partner had evolved into a white-colored gryphon. She leapt onto his back and he took into the air. They executed a perfect spin and came back to attack Triceramon. HippoGryphomon spit out a blast of super-heated air. "Heat Wave!"

            This time, when the attack hit the dinosaur, he actually grimaced in pain. He flipped around, ready to execute a counter-attack, but Garudamon was ready. She fired a flaming bird from her body which shot towards the dinosaur. "Shadow Wing!"

            Triceramon roared. "Tail Slap!" He twisted around, his tail acting like a bat, sending the energy wave rebounding. Garudamon was able to shoot out of the way, and Jureimon was ready. He began to spit out a barrage of black pits.

            "Cherry Bomb!"

            Triceramon attempted to dodge the assault, but was not fast enough. He focused on the towering tree and screamed. "Tri Horn Attack!" He fired triple beams from the horns on his head. Jureimon braced for impact, but Insekimon leapt in front of him.

            He held out his arms and shouted, "Guard Rock!" Triceramon's beams impacted him, but surprisingly, he was not injured at all. He raised his arm into the air. "Take this, Cosmo Flash!"  A group of shooting stars flew from the heavens and smashed into Triceramon, throwing him left and right. Once the assault was over, the dinosaur roared with rage.

            He trampled forward, his rage overtaking him. Jureimon fired another Cherry Bomb, throwing him off balance. Triceramon began to pant heavily. HippoGryphomon swung in from the sky. Anna held tightly as her partner opened his mouth and spit out waves of heat. "Heat Wave!"

            Triceramon was thrown completely onto his back, and was helpless as HippoGryphomon used his claws and talons to rip and tear into the dinosaur's stomach. Anna held on tightly, her face completely emotionless.

            "What's wrong with her?" Sora gasped, "Anna's looking so…so…

            Keeya stared at her friend and frowned. The Russian woman had become so entrapped by her rage and vengeance. She sighed with sympathy, that is, until she saw Triceramon's tail snake up from the ground. Neither Anna nor HippoGryphomon was aware of it. The African woman ran forward, followed closely by Jureimon. Triceramon's tail pulled back, ready to strike.

            "Anna!" Keeya shouted just as her partner knocked HippoGrypomon off of Triceramon's stomach. The dinosaur's tail did not strike its target, but he leapt onto his feet and pointed his head at Keeya and Jureimon.

            "Tri Horn Attack!"

            The African woman and her partner suddenly stiffened as Triceramon's attack shot into the backs and continued through the stomachs. Keeya slowly fell to the ground, while Jueriemon collapsed, regressing to Mushmon.

            Anna could feel Keeya's power decreasing greatly. "Oh no…no…Keeya!" She raced to the African woman's side, although due to her rapidly decreasing power, she almost could not find her. Unimon tended to Mushmon.

            Sora and Maria stared at the fallen Keeya, then glanced to Triceramon. They could feel their rage growing. The redhead twirled to her partner. "Garudamon! Tear him apart!"

            "Insekimon!" Maria shouted.

            Maria's partner leapt onto Garudamon's back as the giant bird soared into the sky. Triceramon stared up at her and readied his Tri Horn Attack. Insekimon raised his hand. "Cosmo Flash!"

            A barrage of shooting stars fell from the sky and smashed into the dinosaur, flipping him right to left. Insekimon leapt from the bird's back and slammed his foot into Triceramon's horn, throwing his head to the ground. Garudamon's body began to glow with red flame, which she fired in the form of a giant bird. "Shadow Wing!"The giant bird's attack smashed into Triceramon's already injured face. He screamed as his body exploded into data.

            As Garudamon and Insekimon began to pant, Oiri began to clap his hands. Sora and Maria turned to him, each one had anger and rage in their eyes. The Horseman started to chuckle. "You defeated Triceramon, not bad, but I haven't lost either. My mission was to kill you, and I have succeeded…at least partly, so I will take my leave of you now. Farewell." He bowed and he and Galfmon vanished in a burst of green light.

            Sora's mouth twisted into a snarl. "That bastard…"

            "Keeya, no!"

            The redhead suddenly remembered her fallen friend. She charged to Keeya's side and fell onto her knees. "Keeya…."

            The African woman smiled slightly as she turned to her. "Lady Sora, please forgive me, I will not be able to assist you any longer."

            Before the redhead could say anything, Keeya turned to Anna. With great effort, she grabbed the Russian woman's hand. "Please, my heartbroken friend, I know you grieve for Yuri, but please, do not give yourself into vengeance and rage, please."

            Anna nodded. "_Da…da…_ I promise…"

            Keeya smiled, then slowly closed her eyes. The others waited, but when they saw Mushmon vanish in a burst of his data, they knew that their friend had passed. They each and everyone cried, sadness over whelmed them, but they allowed it only momentarily, for they knew that time was short, and they had to keep moving forward. They laid her to rest beneath the surface, covering her body completely. Anna was silent, but Maria gave a silent prayer. Sora would have said more, but she found that she could only speak one sentence, "May you rest in peace, Daughter of Forest."

            And so, the group reluctantly moved forward.

            To be continued…


	24. The Keys of the Heavens: Chapter 2

_My name is Takashi Yuuske, and I was once a soldier of the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Digitalatri. Before that, I was a member of the Odaiba Chosen, I had trained with them, hoping to become a full member at some point. That never happened. I caught BD-2 and got really sick really quick. Me, Hiroshi and Keiko went to the Digital World to live, and that's when Lady Miayag first appeared to us. She gave us so much hope, she made us believe in the God of the Digital World, healed us, gave us strength….but that was all fake, the God of the Digital World was a demon named GranDracmon that existed since the creation of the Digital World, he had used us since the beginning, all so he could get stronger._

_Yuri of the X-Chosen had already been killed during our escape from the Dark Area, and because of a dream that Sora Takenouchi had, we planned an expedition to the three moons, the only thing left of the original Digital World. Sora, Maria, Keeya and Anna landed on one of the moons and had to fight Oiri, the Horseman of Famine. During that fight, Keeya was killed._

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Keys of the Heavens:_

_Chapter 2_

            The X-Chosen, having spent the last few weeks in constant combat within the Digital World, were now forced to return to their normal lives. Hikari stood at the door to her classroom, watching as her students trailed inside. She had missed their smiling faces, their bright eyes, their laughing voices; such innocence and promise. She knew, however, that they would soon turn into moody teenagers, she had seen it happen to her brother and her friends. She was certain she had gone through that stage, although when she asked about it, Taichi only responded that her version of 'rebelliousness" was to say 'damn' and 'hell,' and it only lasted from age 16 to 17.

            "Excuse me, Miss Yagami?"

            She blinked for a moment before looking down. Two of her students were staring up at her, a girl with long hair and a boy with a head of scraggily hair. "Yes, what is it, Juri?"

            The girl grinned. "Where were you? You were gone for like, forever!"

            Hikari smiled. "I was only gone for a week. And I had some…things to take care of…"

            The boy looked to the girl. "She was workin' with her brother."

            Juri hit the boy in the side of the stomach. "Takato, that's supposed ta be a secret!"

            She eyed the two of them. "What are you two talking about?"

            They were silent. She frowned. "Come on, what's going on?"

            "They were spyin' on the sub'stute when she was talkin' on the phone!" another boy shouted.

            Hikari kneeled down to look at the young children. "You shouldn't be spying."

            "We're sorry!" the boy said, "We were jus' commin' back from recess!"

            "Okay…okay, it's all right…" Hikari said, "Yes, I was doing something very important with my older brother."

            Another girl frowned. "My older brother is so mean ta' me! Is your brother mean ta you?"

            Hikari smiled. "No, not anymore. When you get older, you'll get along better."

            "What did you have ta help him with?" Takato asked.

            "Some…things," she said. She did not wish to announce to them that she was a Chosen, they would not stop asking her for details.

            "What kinda things?" Juri asked.

            "I will tell you later," she said, hoping that they would forget, "Let's take our seats right now and we can begin."

            The class moaned and Hikari smiled. It was great to be back.

111

            "Hey, Jyou, welcome back."

            He stood before his supervising physician and bowed. "I…apologize for my absenc, Dr. Yazuna…"

            The older man stared at him. "Tell me, what was so important that you had to miss a week of your internship?"

            He paled. "I…uh…Well, I had something very important…"

            "What?"

            "I…um…I can't say, I'm sorry."

            Yazuna nodded slightly. "Then tell me this, were people counting on you?"

            He blinked for a moment. "Y…yes."

            The old man's face quickly smiled. He placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Then don't worry about it. If you were needed elsewhere, then that is part of the difficulty that we doctors must face, how can we save one person if we must sacrifice another? That is something that we must deal with."

            He placed his arm around his shoulder, "Now, most of your patients have been released, but there's someone here that I would like you to diagnoses…"

            Jyou gave a small sigh of relief, he was happy to be back.

111

            Mimi lay on the couch in her parents' apartment and lazily flicked through the channels. Palmon X and Betamon X were seated in one of the chairs, watching with agitation. With every program that appeared, they waited for the young woman to start watching, however, she continued to pass through channel after channel until Palmon X finall yelled at her. "Would you just keep it on one channel?!"

            "Shh!" Betamon X hissed, mentioning to Michael, who was speaking into his cellphone near the window.

            "No," the blond man said, "I want to purchase those shares as quickly as possible…well, if that's a problem then we'll need to drop it, yeah, I know…all right, I'll talk to you soon." He placed the phone into his pocket and sighed deeply.

            "What's wrong?" Mimi asked.

            "One of the shows that we had for our fall lineup isn't doing well in the testing, we're gonna have to drop it." He shook his head, "Those people are going to be out of work…"

            Mimi walked over and hugged him. "Why don't you do a show about us? You know, about our adventures in the Digital World and everything like that. I mean, we wouldn't use our real names, or anything like that, you know…?"

            He shrugged. "I don't know. I think it'd be a better idea to keep it quiet…" He frowned.

            "What's wrong now?"

            "Someday, I would like to tell this story, about everything that we did, everything that you did before me." He smiled slightly, "That's not a bad idea, though, Taichi and Yamato could be the stars…"

            She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like anyone would watch _that_, it's really…"

            She was not able to finish that thought as a loud moan was heard coming from the guest room. They charged down the hall and entered the room, where they saw their 'guest' a young woman with long, messy hair, seated up in the bed.

            "Miayag, you're awake!" Mimi exclaimed.

            The Digitalatri Priestess turned to her. "W…where am I?"

            "You're in Tokyo," Michael explained, "We brought you here after the fight with GranDracmon…"

            She flinched at the memory. "Am…am I to assume that he has not been defeated?"

            They shook their heads slowly. "I see," Miayag responded. She stared at them with caution. "Am…am I your prisoner?"

            "No…no, nothing like that," Mimi said, waving her hands.

            "Where are Hiroshi, Keiko, Takashi and James?"

            "We think that the three moons of the Digital World might have something to do with GranDracmon's seal, so they and the Daughters went to investigate them."

            She nodded. "Where is my cousin?"

111

            Dingo studied Yamato's expression from across the kitchen table in Jyou's apartment. The blond man was slowly eating the eggs that were lying on the plate in front of him. "Well?" the Australian asked.

            Yamato had to twist his head as he attempted to swallow. He managed to get it to pass through his throat before glaring at Dingo. "It's…unique…"

            The Australian frowned. "That bad, huh?"

            "Well, I just…I mean…"

            "Nah, it's fine, I can't cook at all," he shrugged, "Keeya and Noriko cooked when we were all stayin' here…"

            Yamato sighed slightly. The other male raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

            He shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong…"

            "Yeah, right…"

            "What's that suppose to mean?"

            "You and Noriko."

            "What?!"

            Dingo smirked. "When are ya gonna tell her."

            Yamato narrowed his eyes. "And what about you?"

            "What about me?"

            "I see how you and Lynna look at each other…"

            He smiled slightly. "Hey, she's pretty easy on the eyes ya know…"

            "Well…it's not like Noriko couldn't be a supermodel if she really wanted to!"

            Dingo held up his hands. "Easy, mate."

            "Sorry," the blond said, "I'm just a little cranky because I'm so hungry…"

            The Australian man chuckled slightly. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I'd offer ta go out for food, but I don't really know my way around here...Do they do takeout for breakfast?"

            The blond shrugged. "Maybe. Get the phone book."

111

            Taichi and Agumon X were lying on the couch in his apartment, watching television when he heard the doorbell ring. "I'm coming!" he shouted. He stumbled off of the couch and limped forward, eventually, and with great effort, he grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open. He gasped in surprise. "M…Miayag?"

            "Good day, _Juukeitei_," she said.

            The Priestess was standing with Mimi, Michael, and their disguised digimon partners. She was being supported by Mimi. The brown-haired X-Chosen gave a sheepish shrug. "She _insisted_!"

            Taichi limped out of the way and mentioned with his arm. They entered the apartment, Miayag collapsing onto the couch. Her Plotmon curled up and lay down at her partner's feet. The bushy-haired young man gave a slight smile. "I guess you're not feeling any better then me, huh?"

            "I am still suffering from exhaustion and sore limbs," she replied, getting herself comfortable.

            Michael looked to Taichi. "We can stay if you want us to…"

            "Nah, that's okay," he said, eying his cousin, "I don't think she's much of a threat…"

            Betamon X chuckled. "Yeah, well, no offense, but neither are you…"

            Palmon X lightly hit him in the back. Mimi placed her hand on Taichi's shoulder. "We'll come back in a little while, okay?"

            He nodded. "Yeah, okay…"

            They slowly exited the apartment, closing the door behind them. He turned to Miayag. "So, what do you want?"

            She frowned. "You do not have much like for me, do you?"

            "Well, what do you expect? You tried to kill Noriko and Maria, you forced everyone out of Nightsun, you put my mother in the hospital, you forced hundreds of Infected Chosen to join your side-which, by the way, turned out to be powering an ancient vampire demon, and you've just generally been a major pain in my ass!"

            Agumon X and Plotmon watched with wide eyes. They decided to themselves that it would be best to remain silent. Miayag sighed deeply. "Yes, you are correct; there is much I have done that…that perhaps was not completely necessary."

            "So, what, now you're here to apologize? I think it's a little too late for that."

            She nodded slowly. "Yes, I do not think I deserve your forgiveness, only wished it…"

            "Why do you talk like that?" Taichi snapped.

            "What do you mean?"

            "You talk like you're so…so high and mighty!"

            She blinked. "I…I do? I…I was not aware that I spoke in such a way…perhaps it occurred after receiving the power from GranDracmon…"

            She trailed off, staring at the floor. Taichi flinched slightly, remembering that she had been used by the great demon. "I…" He sighed, "W…what happened to your mother anyway?"

            "Both of my parents are dead," she said, "My father was killed by someone he called friend, and my mother perished as a result of an overdose caused by narcotic abuse."

            "Drugs?" he gasped, "Your mother was a drug user?"

            She once again glanced to the floor. "Yes, she was."

            Taichi noticed that the Priestess was no longer speaking with the same…authority and arrogance she once had; perhaps arrogance was too strong a word. After discovering that they were cousins, he had, unfortunately, noticed that they shared many of the same qualities, both good and bad, including their pride. She had been so strong, so determined before, and now, after discovering that everything she had believed in was a lie, she felt that her entire life was over.

            He took a deep breath to calm himself. "What did you want to see me about?"

            She too inhaled deeply. "I…I just wanted to give you my apologies for the wrongs that I have committed upon you."

            He crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, just so you know, I don't think the others will be too ready to forgive you, especially Maria, Noriko and Anna."

            She stared at him. "What about you, _Juukeitei?"_

            He hesitated for a moment. "I…I don't know…Yeah, okay, so it turns out that you were just being used by GranDracmon, but why did you even have to go along with him in the first place??

            "Because I had nothing else," she sneered, "You and Hikari may live with a complete family, a father and mother that still live and still love, but answer me this, what would you do, if they happened to die tomorrow? Tell me, how would you feel about being alone?"

            He blinked. "But…I wouldn't really be alone, I'd have Sora, and Yamato, and Jyou and the others. Did you really think I wouldn't turn to my friends if I needed help? Why didn't you turn to your friends?"

            She hesitated for a moment, then turned her head to glace out the window, "I…I do not know…Maybe I had forgotten, maybe…maybe I had become so overcome with grief that I did not think to do so."

            "Which brings up another thing," he said, "Me and Hikari knew about Aunt Kumiko, but we just got the impression from our Mom that she really didn't want to come back here, even to visit, but, didn't your mother ever tell you about _my_ Mom?"

            "No, she did not," Miayag said, "My mother never spoke of a family at all. I do not know the reasons, but I did not know anything of you." She smiled slightly, "Perhaps had I known, things could have been…different."

            Taichi crossed his arms and studied her. After what she had done to him and the other X-Chosen, he should find no difficulty in hating her, but, whether it was because they were cousins, or maybe something more, he was finding it difficult not to get to know her. "Something's really been bothering me."

            "What is that?"

            "Did you ever have BD-2?"

            She nodded. "Yes. Shortly before GranDracmon appeared to me in the guise of the God of the Digital World."

            "What, uh…um…"

            She mentioned to her face. "My eyes," she explained, "They were deteriorating, much like Anna Danika's condition. When GranDracmon contacted me the first time, I had lost completely vision in my left eye. But, when I accepted his power, I was completely cured."

            He nodded slowly. She narrowed her eyes. "What about you?"

            "What about me?"

            "Did you suffer from the effects of the Second Black Death?"

            "I…I have the X-Antibody."

            "Yes, but did you have BD-2, and then the X-Antibody purged it from your body?"

He was eager to change the subject. "So, you were born in America, right?"

            She nodded, "Yes, I was born in Los Angeles, California. That is also where I came of age."

            "Then you can speak English pretty good, right?" he asked, "I mean, I can speak English because it was required for the profession that I'm studying, and the others all took at least one year of English."

            She nodded. "Yes…"

            "Great, we can talk about everyone behind their backs then." He gave her a slight smile, the noticed that she was still wearing the same dress that she had on when they first met. "Do you want to take a shower and get a change of clothes?"

111

            Dingo marched down the sidewalk, carrying a large bag in his hands. Ganimon X was skittering along the ground next to him, some packages on his back as well. "Why did we hafta go all the way ta the other side of the city?" the digimon asked.

            "We didn't go ta the other side of the city," he sighed, "Look, I didn't wanna go either, but the restaurant wouldn't do take out for breakfast, and plus I can't read Japanese, we're lucky we even got ta the place ta begin with, so stop compla…"

            Ganimon X glanced to his partner, who had stopped walking and was staring out through an alley. They had elected to travel through the back routes to avoid attention, but now the Australian man was walking towards the main street. "Dingo?" Ganimon X asked, following him.

            Dingo walked to the edge of the alley and stared out; there was a large group of young adults marching down the sidewalk, almost in synchronous steps. He would have thought that was odd, but when he saw the various digimon partners hiding in disguises near them, coupled with the fact that most of the humans had visible signs of BD-2 infection, he knew something was wrong.

            "What's up?" Ganimon X asked.

            "Where are all those Infected Chosen goin'?"

            "I don't know."

            He mentioned with his head. "Come on, let's go find out."

            They waited until the last of the Infected Chosen had passed before stepping out in the street. They moved a decent distance behind them, fair enough not to be noticed, but close enough to follow. They eventually arrived at the park, where the group had arranged themselves within a large semi-circle. Standing at the center of that circle, was a young woman dressed in a dark black dress.

            "Hikari?" Ganimon X gasped.

            "No, it's not!" Dingo hissed, "It's that…other one…What the hell was her name?...Kirahi!"

            "Well what are they doin' here?"

            "I dunno," Dingo replied. He began to search around until he located two large trees to his left. He grabbed his partner and dove behind them. They cautiously peered around the large trunks to stare at the assembly before them.

            Kirahi, the Horseman of Death, although that information was kept secret from the congregation, raised her arms into the air and began to speak. "Hear me, fellow Chosen, the time is almost upon us. The Digital World has been destroyed, annihilated by those despicable Demon Lords, and, though it pains me to say it, my predecessor, Chihi Miayag was in league with them! She chose to relinquish control of the Center Island rather then fight to protect it! And thus, with her aide, the Digital World was destroyed, and so we were forced to walk this world once more."

            She sighed and shook hear head, "But the normal humans will not accept us anymore then the so-called 'normal' Chosen, those of the now-destroyed Chosen Council. We will be caged and exterminated." Her face grew into a smile, "But, do not fear, my fellow Chosen, for we will soon have peace! For the Digital God himself will soon be with us, and we have only to pray and gather our energy, feeding it to him, so that he may have the strength needed to appear in this world, where he will protect us and smite our enemies!"

            The crowd began to cheer wildly. Ganimon X turned to his partner. "Aren't we gonna stop them?"

            Dingo stared at him. "What are ya crazy? Look at how many there are compared ta us. We step out inta that, and we're gonna be the ones meetin' God…"

            "But we know that she's lyin' ta them. We gotta do somethin,' I mean, ya heard what she said, GranDracmon's commin' here, and he's commin' here soon!"

            Dingo hesitated. "Look, as much as I wanna run out there, I don't think it's a good idea, let's go and get Taichi and the others, then come back."

            Ganimon X sighed. "Yeah, all right, let's go."

            They cautiously turned around, but, to their horror, an Infected Chosen was standing before them: a boy who was missing his left arm and almost all of his right hand. He had an Armadimon as a partner. Dingo and Ganimon X only stared at him for a moment, before the Australian man smiled slightly. "Um…do you know where we can sign up?"

            "X-Chosen!" the boy shouted as loud as he could. Dingo and Ganimon X spun around and saw that the entire army of Infected Chosen were now staring at them, including their newly-appointed leader, Kirahi.

            The Hikari-doppelganger pointed her finger at them. "Kill them now!"

            "Oh shit," Dingo muttered, "Run!"

111

            While the X-Chosen were reestablishing their lives on Earth, the Daughters of the First, along with the members of the Digitalatri, were exploring the three moons of the Digital World. Despite Sora's originally laid out teams, once the Digital Gate was open, the large group became separated in the void that was once the Digital World. Sora, Maria, Keeya and Anna had landed on one moon, Noriko, Catherine, Iduia and Lynna had arrived on another, with the Digitalatri arriving on the third. These soldiers were wandering across the red landscape. They did not know where they were going, but since they did not have a better plan, they continued to walk forward. Keiko then asked a question they had all been thinking, "If we beat GranDracmon, what's going to happen to us? Are we going to end up as prisoners, or worse?"

            "Could they really do that?" Keiko's Kunemon asked, "Can they really put us in prison?"

            They looked to Hiroshi, who thought for a moment. "Yagami might have authority with the Chosen and the Digital World, but not on Earth. He doesn't have any authority to hold us anywhere."

            His Penmon glanced to him. "But, isn't he a government student or something like that?"

            "Yeah, a student. If this was happening ten or twenty years from now, maybe, but not now."

            Takashi grumbled. "So they kill us, just like they did with Tatum, Sam and Vicente."

            The others stopped walking and turned to him. "What do you mean?"

            He crossed his arms. "Well, think about it, we're enemies, and they send us here, to a place no one's really ever explored before. We could be stuck here for the rest of our lives."

            "Wait," James said, "That doesn't make much sense, Takenouchi came with us…"

            "Yeah, and remember that she split us up too? And now we're together and the others aren't anywhere to be seen."

            Keiko gasped. "W…what if he's right?"

            James shook his head. "But, I saw them, they entered the gate with us…"

            "But they aren't here now, right?" he said, "They could be on Earth right now, with the Gate closed!"

            "Stop that!" Hiroshi shouted, "Taichi Yagami's not the type to manipulate others, if he wanted to kill us, he would have shot us dead in Kido's apartment."

            The others reluctantly agreed and continued to walk forward. They moved in silence, too ashamed over their manipulation by GranDracmon to speak. Eventually, they arrived at a group of metallic buildings. They blinked in surprise. "I thought there weren't any settlements here?" James asked.

            "There shouldn't be," his Betamon answered.

            "Hiroshi?" Keiko asked.

            Her boyfriend only nodded. They entered the small village and were promptly greeted by a group of digimon who had a body in the shape of a star. "Starmon?" Hiroshi's Penmon asked.

            "That's right!" one shouted. The Digitalatri jumped back slightly at the force of his answer.

            "We are the Starmon Brigade!" another one shouted as loud as he could, "Ten hunt!"

            All of the Starmon instantly stood at attention, moving their arms and bodies in one carefully orchestrated motion. The Digitalatri were impressed.

            "What brings you humans here?" the first Starmon asked.

            Hiroshi nodded slightly. "We're here on an expedition…"

            He nodded. "Come with me," he said. The Starmon led them through the metallic city, passing by an army of Starmon, each one practicing a series of movements, raising their arms, raising their legs, switching to the other foot, moving their other arm, all moving in complete unison. There was a Starmon standing at the front of the group. He was gold color as opposed to silver and wore a set of dark sunglasses.

"Amazing," Hiroshi said, admiring the perfect movement and choreography.

            The group of Starmon finished their practice with a slamming of their feet and a loud shout. The gold Starmon nodded. "Dismissed!"

            The army of Starmon began to disperse. The gold Starmon turned and noticed the Digitalatri. "Humans! I haven't seen humans in a long time!" He noticed the Digimon at their side. "And Chosen too! Well I'll be! I'm SuperStarmon, what can I do to help you?"

            Hiroshi quickly told him about GranDracmon and the three angels, including Sora's prophetic dream. SuperStarmon gently rubbed his chin. "I don't know if there's anything here that can really help you with that."

            "Are you sure?" James asked.

            "Fairly certain," he responded, "And we've been here for a long time, studying this planet."

            Keiko snorted and crossed her arms. "I knew Takenouchi was just out of her mind."

            SuperStarmon thought for a moment. "Maybe there's something we can do. Follow me, and we'll check out our surveillance."

            "Thank you," James said. The group followed him as he led them through the army base. They past by more Starmons, who were all training in a variety of ways. "Can I ask you something?" Hiroshi asked.

             "Yes?"

            "What are you training for?"

            "We're always training," he said, "For the time when we're needed."

            "All you do is train?" Keiko asked.

            "That's right, missy," he answered, "Don't you understand? You're heroes, aren't you?"

            "Maybe at one time," Hiroshi sighed, regretfully.

            SuperStarmon eventually led them to a large, circular-shaped building. Inside was another group of Starmon, these ones seated in front of computer terminals. In the center of the room was a raised platform with another computer terminal. This platform was where SuperStarmon walked to and began to activate the electrical equipment.

            He began to move his fingers across the keys. He was silent as he studied the information on the screen. "I may have found something to help you."

            "Yes?" Hiroshi asked.

            "During one of our excavations of this moon, we found a canyon a few miles from here."

            "So?" Takashi asked.

            "There was a cave at the bottom of that canyon, there was nothing inside of it, but maybe we missed something."

            "That's it?" Takashi's Tsukaimon asked.

            "That's the best I can do," he replied.

            He quickly gave them the directions to the canyon, and the group began their trek across the red landscape. SuperStarmon's directions had not been very clear, but the canyon ran along most of the moon, so by simply walking direct right they would arrive at the chasm. They remained silent as they traveled. Only a few days ago, they would have chatted the entire journey, but that was before GranDracmon. They were still feeling the sting of the revelation that their entire mission had so far been nothing but a lie. In fact, the only thing that was fueling their desire to work with the X-Chosen was to halt GranDracmon's plans. They may have foolishly allowed themselves to be controlled by their grief and pain, but their rage was still theirs.

            After traveling for fifteen minutes, they found themselves standing on the cliff of a giant canyon. The opposing side was clearly visible half a mile before them, but the edges stretched for miles in both directions.

            Takashi frowned. "Great, that cave could be anywhere down there!"

            Hiroshi shrugged. "We'll just have to keep looking until we find it, that's all."

            "Maybe it would be better if we split up?" James asked.

            "I don't know, I don't think that's such a good idea. If we were attacked, we'd be outnumbered."

            "You already are!"

            They twisted their heads and saw a figure dressed in a light orange cloak standing a few feet behind them, with a centaur-like creature with standing beside her. "One of the Four Horsemen!" James shouted.

            Keiko stared. "One that stole the face of Tatum!"

            The figure shook her head. "How soon we forget." She bowed, "I am Matut, the Horseman of War, and this is my partner, Zanbamon."

            The centaur-creature grabbed a sword from its sheath and swung it forward in a practiced move before sliding it back into its holster.

            Takashi raised an eyebrow. "I guess you're here to kill us?"

            Matut chuckled. "I guess you're not as stupid as I thought you were. I mean, those times when Miayag was giving orders, you always looked like you were somewhere out in space…"

            "You are _not_ Tatum," he interrupted, "We all know that, so don't bullshit us, all right?"

            She glared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough. So let's just get started then, okay?"

            Hiroshi nodded to the others. They each grabbed their digivices and gripped them tightly. Their partners ran forward and quickly evolved: James's Betamon into Megaseadramon, Takashi's Tsukaimon into Metaltyrannomon, Keiko's Kunemon into Garbamon, and Hiroshi's Penmon into Bluemeramon.

            The Digitalatri gasped in surprise. "W…what's going on?" Keiko asked, "Why aren't they Megas?"

            "GranDracmon took back our powers!" James gritted his teeth, "Damn it!"

            "It doesn't matter," BlueMeramon answered, "Even if we're not as strong as we were, we'll still win!"

            Zanbamon chuckled slightly. "While you're wrong, I won't be able to prove it, because I won't be fighting."

            The soldiers were in silent awe. "What?" Takashi finally asked.

            Matut chuckled as she raised her hand. "I could summon someone that you guys already defeated, but you never did defeat anyone, did you? You weren't good enough to be part of Yagami's or Motomiya's Chosen, and when they trained you, you had just enough time to betray them. So, I guess the best I'm going to be able to do is…_him!"_

            As she held her hand to the air, and explosion of orange erupted before them, summoning a creature that they had never seen personally, but the tales they had heard from the other Chosen allowed them to recognize him on sight.

            "Phantomon!"

            As with most of the digimon that were summoned by the demons, Phantomon did not speak, only swung his large scythe around before him, attempting to intimidate his foes. He hovered in the air, staring down at the four digimon below him. His eyes past to each one before settling on Keiko's Garbamon. He raised his scythe and shot towards him. The Mutant digimon was about to raise his bazooka, when Megaseadramon shot up from behind, his horn already crackling with energy.

            "Thunder Javelin!" he shouted, throwing a mighty bolt of pure electricity into the ghost's body. Phantomon struggled, but was able to disrupt the attack by swinging his scythe at the serpent, sending out a wave of energy.

            "Soul Chopper!"

            Megaseadramon was able to dart out of the way in time, but Metal Tyranomon, who had been standing behind him, was struck in the chest. Due to his metal body, he was not as injured as the ghost had hoped. Instead, the metal dinosaur stomped forward and reached out to grab Phantomon, but the ghost swung his scythe around again, slashing the blade into the dinosaur's palm. Metal Tyranomon continued with his motion and smacked him instead, sending him into a tail spin, where Blue Meramon was waiting.

            The flame digimon created balls of blue flames within his hands and flung them forward. "Take this, Ice Fireball!"

            Phantomon easily twisted and hovered to safety. He raised his scythe, ready to attack, but he stopped when he heard Metal Tyranomon charging up behind him. The metallic dinosaur opened his mouth and expunged a mighty blast of fire that completely enveloped the ghost digimon. "Fire Blast II!" he shouted with glee.

            Takashi grinned. "I think we got him."

            Phantomon shot out of the ball of flame and slashed his scythe across Metal Tyranomon's snout. The large dinosaur lumbered backwards, but still managed to slam his fist into the ghost's side, sending him towards the ground. Megaseadramon slithered around on the ground, coiling, and then striking like a snake, his jaws open wide. The ghost twisted around at the lat moment, swinging his staff forward, sending out a blade of evil energy. "Soul Chopper!"

            "Megaseadramon!" James shouted, "Watch out!"

But it was too late, Phantomon's energy slashed the serpent across the face, and he fell to the ground.  The ghost gripped his weapon tightly and flew to continue to attack the serpent, but was suddenly struck in the face by the most disgusting and surprising thing he could think of, shit.

            He stared at the glob falling down his body, then over to the digimon that had fired it, Keiko's Garbamon. The young woman stood behind him with her arms crossed. "Never saw that coming, did ya?" she laughed.

            Phantomon roared with anger and shot towards them, but BlueMeramon appeared at the last moment. He hovered in the air for a moment before his entire body suddenly exploded with bright, blue light. "Vision Binder!" he screamed.

            Phantomon roared in pain, dropping his scythe. He floated backwards, clutching his injured eyes.

            "You've got him now!" Hiroshi shouted, "Now finish him off!"

            BlueMeramon held his hands into fists and clenched them tightly. His body began to quake slightly as the flames on his body grew even larger, wrapping around his limbs and torso. Soon, his entire body was wrapped in flame, which then quickly transformed into ice. "Ice Phantom!" he shouted, flying forward at full speed. He brought his right fist back, then swung it forward, slamming into his chest and emerging out his back. The ghost digimon shook for a moment before his data was ripped into nothingness.

            Matut raised an eyebrow in surprise. "They beat him," Zanbamon answered.

            "I can see that," she replied.

            "You better believe we won!" Keiko shouted.

            Matut crossed her arms and smirked. "So, the weaklings won, huh?"

            Hiroshi pointed his finger at her. "You're not going to intimidate us like that! Go back to your boss and tell that demonic bastard that he's not going to beat us! We might not have been Chosen like Yagami or Motomiya, but that doesn't mean we're not any less Chosen! And just remember, I'm going to enjoy killing you myself!"

            The Horseman of War laughed. "Yeah, right, I'd like to see you try." She sighed slightly, "But Lord GranDracmon is calling, so I will see you later, and mark my words, I will see _you_ dead before _I _pass into the next life!" She gave a slight bow before she and Zanbamon vanished with a burst of orange light.

111

On the middle moon, Noriko, Catherine, Lynna and Iduia had discovered a structure over the horizon when they landed on the small celestial sphere. Without anywhere else to travel, they began to move towards it. When they arrived, they were slightly surprised to discover that a collection of houses was littering the yellow landscape.

            "Settlements…on…the…moon?" Iduia asked.

            "Why not?" her Kokuwamon asked, "Anything's possible in this universe."

            The Brazilian agreed and the group cautiously entered the settlement. After determining that there was no sign of a threat, they began to search the buildings. In the first, odd-shaped house they entered, they found a typical kitchen: an oven, a sink with a few dirty dishes, a white refrigerator, and a round table in the center. Surprisingly, there were a few hamburgers lying on the table's surface.

            "Looks like someone was here," Noriko said, "Why do I feel like the _Three Little Bears?_"

            Lynna grinned, her mouth watering. "Hungry Little Bears is more like it." She walked forward, "Man, I am starvin!"

            Before any of the others could stop her, the hamburgers suddenly leapt into the air. The Australian woman stopped short, staring in disbelief as the hamburgers turned into small, rodent-like creatures with hamburger buns on their heads.

            "Don't eat us!" one of them shouted.

            "We're not food, please!" another one cried.

            The Daughter of Water was stunned into silence, but the Daughter of Light blinked in surprise. "Hamburger digimon?" Catherine asked.

She turned to Floramon, who only shrugged. "Maybe some data from a fast-food restaurant's cash register, like _Burger King._"

            The Daughter of Darkness gave an amused laugh. "Nothing surprises me about this place anymore."

            The door on the far wall opened and two digimon who appeared to be larger versions of the burger digimon, one had a mustache and the other was wearing an apron. "What is all the commotion in here?" the mustached-one asked. When he saw the Daughters and their partners, he gave a slight chuckle, but the other one screamed slightly.

            "H…humans?" the one in the apron asked, "You are humans, correct?"

            "Yes," Noriko said, "I'm sorry if I'm rude, but…you're digimon, right?"

            "That is right," the mustached-one responded, "I am PapaBurgermon, this is my wife, MamaBurgermon, and these are our children."

            The younger Burgermon ran to hide behind MamaBurgermon's back. "I apologize," she said, "But we have never seen humans before."

            "Wait," PapaBurgermon said, "Tell me, you have been to the Digital World, correct? We have heard stories from traveling Digimon."

            Catherine nodded. _"Oui_, we are from ze Digital World."

            "Then, tell me, how was it destroyed?" he asked, "We saw it happen right before our eyes."

            Noriko answered him. "Well, it was destroyed because an evil demon named GranDracmon was sealed in the center, the Dark Area. Now he wants to get free, and destroying the Digital World was just the first step. But, he said something about angels sealing him away, and the moons were named after the angels, so we're wondering if there's a connection."

            PapaBurgermon thought for a moment. "Well, this is the Ophanimoon, but I do not know if there is anything special about it."

            "Wait, Daddy," one of the smaller Burgermon children asked, "What about the Rock?"

            The adult Burgermon smiled slightly. "Ah, yes, how could I forget? The Rock might hold the answers you're looking for."

            "Rock?" Iduia asked.

            "Yes, it's a strange rock formation not even half a mile from here. We could even show you the way."

            "That would be great," Noriko grinned, "Thanks."

            "Not at all. We rarely get visitors anymore."

            "Now, now," MamaBurgermon said, "Why don't we let them eat first?"

            "Eat?" Lynna asked.

            The female Burgermon nodded and smiled warmly. "We have enough hamburgers for everyone. We can eat, then we can show you the way to the Rock."

            Catherine smiled apologetically. "_Merci_, but we should really get moving…"

            MamaBurgermon smiled. "Oh, it's no trouble, I know that you're hungry…" She mentioned to the table, "Please sit."

            Lynna and her Gizamon ran past the others and leapt into the seats. Noriko shrugged. "I guess we're staying."

            They all sat and waited only a few moments before PapaBurgermon exited the kitchen carrying a large tray of hamburgers and placed them onto the table. Despite their earlier manners, the hunger of the others had gotten the better of them and they too devoured the food before them. While Lynna, Noriko and their partners shoved food into their mouths, Catherine and Floramon ate with slightly more dignity. While Kokuwamon ate, Iduia stared at the hamburger seated on the plate. Catherine noticed this.

            "Aren't you going to eat zat?"

            She turned to her. "Oh…yes…" She reached up and unclasped the bottom of portion of her oxygen mask, freeing her mouth but leaving her nose covered. She began to eat, slowly, and she shivered slightly.

            "Are you still feeling sick?" Noriko asked.

            "Just…a…little…" the Daughter of Metal answered, "But…I…will…be…fine."

            MamaBurgermon smiled warmly and she handed the Brazilian a cup full of a warm liquid. "Here, this might help."

            Iduia thanked her and sipped on the medicine. "It…is..good…I…feel…better…already."

            After they had finished eating, the Burgermon were eager to lead them to the mysterious Rock. By now, the young food digimon had become comfortable around the humans and were laughing and playing as they walked across the yellow landscape.

            "How long have you guys been here?" Noriko's Plotmon asked.

            PapaBurgermon thought for a moment. "A very long time. Our ancestors might have come from the Digital World, but we're not sure."

            "Then how did you know about the Digital World at all?"

            "We have had some travelers that come here occasionally."

            "Travelers?" Gizamon asked, surprised, "Who travels here?"

            "Space digimon!" one of the Burgermon children laughed.

            MamaBurgermon laughed slightly. "Digimon that are able to survive in space have come here to explore. They have settled on the Cherubimoon…" She mentioned to the red orb hovering in the black sky.

            "Alright," Lynna said, "Let me get this straight, we're on the Ophanimoon, and that blue one over there is the Seraphimoon?"

            "That's right, my dear," MamaBurgermon nodded.

            Iduia stared at the blue moon, then glanced over to the red moon. "I…hope…our…friends…are…there…"

            "I'm sure they are," PapaBurgermon replied.

            They chatted for a few more minutes before arriving at a large mountain seated within the barren landscape. It was shaped oddly and stretched to the sky. There was a gapping hole at the bottom. PapaBurgermon smiled as he held out his arm. "This is the Rock."

            "How long has it been here?" Lynna asked.

            "It's always been here, as far as we know," he answered.

            Noriko shrugged. "Well, might as well see what's in there."

            They began to walk towards the cave, but stopped when they saw another figure exiting the cavern, a figure with a face that they recognized, but knew that it was not who they thought. It was Noriko who first spoke. "I know you're not Sam."

            The figure chuckled and gave a slight bow. "Well, not like I was trying to trick you or anything, since I figured by now you were used to seeing us demons…Anyway, I am Asm, the Horseman of Pestilence, and I think you all know my partner…" He pointed to the top of the mountain as the entire ground began to shake. A towering giant lumbered from around the back of the mountain, another familiar figure.

            "Venom Myotismon!" they shouted in unison.

            Noriko turned to the Burgermon. "Run! Hurry!"

            They nodded and quickly retreated back to their small village. The partners of the Daughters quickly evolved: Plotmon to Black Tailmon, Floramon to Kiwimon, Gizamon to Ebidramon, and Kokuwamon to Guardramon. They knew that they were no match for the towering mega, but they would not give up without a fight.

            Asm started to chuckle. "Eager, aren't we? Sorry, we won't be fighting."

            "You won't?" Lynna asked.

            "Afraid not," he said. He raised his hand and an explosion of dull gold light erupted before them. A dark figure appeared; a towering devil with two long white tentacles. "Marine Devimon!"

            The Aquatic Beast digimon chuckled with evil laughter and raised one of his white tentacles, throwing it into the ground with great force. The X-Chosen dove for safety while their digimon partners leapt into action. Ebidramon raised his claws, which grew in size and swung them into the white tentacle. "Twin Neptune!"

            Marine Devimon did not appear to even flinch as, with a flick of the same tentacle, sent the Aquatic digimon tumbling backwards. He began to raise the white appendage, but Black Tailmon was able to jump on and charge up the side, eventually reaching the shoulder. She pulled her fists back and executed her _Neko Punch_ attack, striking him multiple times on the side of his face. The demonic sea beast only chuckled and threw her into the ground.

            "Damn it," the black cat swore.

            Kiwimon and Guardromon positioned themselves on either side of the aquatic goliath. Guardromon raised his fists while Kiwimon opened her beak.

            "Pummel Peck!"

            "Destruction Grenade!"

            The barrage of projectiles was able to hit their mark with deadly accuracy, but the Aquatic Beast remained uninjured. He quickly swung his large hands around, knocking both of them back with a single motion.

            Ebidramon skirted forward, his claw raised above his head. "Twin Neptune!" His attack slashed the devil's leg.

            "All right!" Lynna cheered, "Yeah!"

            Unfortunately, Ebidramon's attack did nothing but irritate the beast. He kicked the Aquatic digimon to the side and lifted his leg, intending to flatten the creature. However, Guardromon fired red beams from his eyes that pierced the devil's shin. He stumbled back and was forced to place his foot on the ground once more. Ebidramon leapt to his feet and fled. Kiwimon fired more Chibi Kiwimons from her mouth to cover the escape of Lynna's partner, but they caused no injury to Marine Devimon.

            "Damn it!" Noriko shouted, "This isn't working!"

            "We need ta get up ta his head," Lynna growled, "But none of our digimon can fly!"

            Iduia looked to her partner. "And…Guardromon…can…only…hover…and…

not…that…high…either…"

            Catherine stared at the battle a moment longer before she gasped slightly. "Wait, I have an idea. Why don't we use our powers to make our digimon evolve?"

            "What?" Lynna asked.

            The French woman nodded again. "_Oui_, just like we did with Yamato and ze others."

            Iduia asked, "What…about…our…infections?"

            "She's right," Noriko said, "Jyou said if we used our powers too much, our infections would just get worse."

            "Yeah, but what else are we gonna do?" Lynna asked.

            Everyone then agreed then they would have to do whatever was necessary. Each one called upon the power they knew was lying within their bodies, Noriko's power of darkness merged with Black Tailmon, Lynna's power of water merged with Ebidramon, Catherine's power of light merged with Kiwimon and Iduia's power of metal merged with Guardromon. Each one began to glow with bright light as they evolved once more.

            "Black Tailmon evolve to Ladydevimon!"

            "Ebidramon evolve to Waru Seadramon!"

            "Kiwimon evolve to Blossomon!"

            "Guardromon evolve to Andromon!"

            The Daughters were amazed at the sight of their evolved partners, except for Noriko, who was staring with a mixture of wonder and horror. "L…ladydevimon?" She stared at the hovering devil woman, "P…Plotmon, please tell me that's still you in there…"

            She glared down at the young woman, then smiled. "Yup, it's me."

            She gave a small sigh of relief, then gave her partner another cautious glance. "Do you…I don't know, have any kind of…bad feelings?"

            She shrugged. "Not really, why?"

            "Oh, no reason!" She looked back to the other digimon, where were just beginning to assault Marine Devimon. "You'd better go."

            Ladydevimon nodded and flew to aid her fellow digimon. Waru Seadramon led the assault by firing a large, sharply-pointed icicle from his horn, which was actually able to pierce the aquatic demon's shoulder. He stifled a roar and lurched forward. Blossomon began to whip her vines and send them spiraling at Marine Devimon, the tiny faces attached to the end sliced and tore across his skin. Andromon was next to attack. He charged his right hand until it began to glow, then swung it across his body, sending a blade of energy aimed at Marine Devimon's neck.

            "Spiral Sword!"

            The attack did not strike the Aquatic digimon's neck, but did slice off one on his tentacles, causing it to drop to the ground. As the group cheered at their slight victory, Iduia, unseen by all, fell to her knees, clutching her chest. Jyou had warned her, but she had disregarded it. When she used her power to cause Guardromon to evolve, it left her weak, and the Second Black Death crept further into her body. It was in her heart, and she knew it would not be long now.

            Due to the lost of his tentacle, Marine Devimon was howling in pain. He was thrashing his arms and legs. His mouth began to fill with something, and the Daughters thought he was about to vomit. "Guilty Black!" he shouted, spraying a sea of black film in every direction. The Daughters leapt to safety, but the digimon were soon covered with a sea of blackness that penetrated through their skin. They began to moan and writhe in pain, all except for Ladydevimon, who had escaped the attack by flying into the air.

            "Hold on guys!" she shouted. She flew closer to her fellow digimon and threw open her hands. "Darkness Wave!"

            A stream of bats shot out of her hands and flowed over the other digimon, effectively wiping away enough of the black ink to allow them to once again rise to their feet. They stared at the evil devil digimon with anger in their stare. Ladydevimon floated down to hover before them. "We attack as one," she said, "All at once, and aim for his face."

            They all nodded and charged forward. Marine Devimon chuckled and opened his palms, ready to attack. LadyDevimon was leading the group, and was hovering closest to the Aquatic digimon. Marine Devimon swung his arm around to strike the floating devil, but she immediately fired her Darkness Wave attack, blinding the Aquatic devil. While he stumbled about, Waruseadramon snaked between his feet, so that the large devil stumbled backwards and fell onto his back. Blossomon slid over on her vine-feet and executed her Spiral Flower technique, once again causing large lacerations across his body. However, he was easily able to whip his hand around and grab hold of her. She struggled to break free, but he only squeezed harder.

            "Blossomon, oh no!" Catherine shirked.

            "Andromon!" Iduia shouted as best she could. Her mechanical partner nodded and charged forward, his arm in position for another Spiral Sword, but to his horror, energy did not gather into his hand like before. Marine Devimon used his foot to kick him aside.

            Iduia ran to her partner. When she was at his side, she fell to the ground, panting heavily. The cybernetic digimon stared at her. "Iduia…?"

            The Brazilian nodded. "Yes…this…is…" She trailed off, not able to say anymore.

            Marine Devimon seemed unable to get back onto his feet. His large body made it too difficult to maneuver quickly, but he still held Blossomon in his clawed hands. He moved his other hand around in an attempted to get back onto his feet, but Ladydevimon was ready to strike with her Darkness Spear, but Marine Devimon's remaining tentacle whipped around and held her tightly. Waruseadramon hesitantly crouched, waiting for an opportunity to attack. He waited until the Aquatic Beast had one knee to the ground and the other ready to bend to push himself back to a standing position. The serpent waited, then shot forward, but, Marine Devimon grabbed him with his free hand. With the three digimon trapped, he laughed as he rose to a standing position. He began to twist his head to search for the fourth one…

            "Spiral Sword!"

            He twisted his head back just in time to see Andromon fire his bladed energy attack, this time successfully striking the Aquatic Beast's neck, slicing his head off. Marine Devimon stumbled for a moment before his data exploded into the sky. The three digimon crashed to the ground, regressing to their Child forms. Noriko, Catherine and Lynna ran to their partners, but stopped when they heard a deep amused laughter.

            They turned their heads to the sky and saw Venommyotismon still standing in the same spot as before, with Asm on his back. "Oh shit," Lynna muttered, "I forgot about him…"

            The Horseman of Pestilence only gave a slight bow. "My mission has been completed, if only partially. I will return to kill you all." He snapped his fingers and he and Venommyotismon vanished in a burst of gold light.

            "What the hell was he talking about?" Noriko asked, "His mission?"

            Catherine suddenly gasped and twisted her head. Iduia was lying on her back, and her Kokuwamon was slowly dissolving. They charged to her side just as her partner finally vanished in a burst of data. The digimon began to weep at their fallen comrade, but Noriko fell to her knees at Iduia's side.

            "Iduia…Iduia…!" she shouted.

            The Brazilin Chosen nodded slightly at the Daughter of Darkness. "I…am…sorry. I…will…not…be…able…to…help…you…any…longer."

            Noriko was only able to shake her head, but before she could speak, Iduia continued. "I…should…have…listened…to…Jyou…BD-2…is…eating…my…heart…"

            "Iduia…" Catherine cried, kneeling beside her.

            The Brazilian reached her hand up, and Noriko grabbed it. "Give…my…best…to…Sora and…Taichi…and…to…you…and…Yamato…Farewell…my…friends…"

            Her hand slowly slipped from Noriko's and fell to the ground. The Daughter of Darkness and the Daughter of Light were too overcome by their emotions and simply cried. Lynna, who had been standing at Iduia's feet, clenched her fists together. "Ya idiot!" she screamed, tears flowing down her face, "Why did'cha have to get yourself killed? What was the point? Huh? What the hell was the freakin' point!" She fell to her knees and began to cry as well.

            Noriko did not how long it was before she was able to look at the fallen Daughter's face, but when she did, she noticed the oxygen mask on her face. She reached over and ripped it off, revealing to them the face of quite possibly the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. They said nothing as they began to dig her grave. They remained silent as they laid her body to rest, but as they stared at the mound of dirt before them, Noriko was finally able to speak.

            "She was the worst, you know," she said, "The worst among us. She had so many artificial organs, hell, everything but her heart was gone, who knows how much pain she must have been in day after day, but did she ever complain? No, she never once felt sorry for herself, she remained strong and determined."

            "I remember when I first saw her," Catherine said, "During ze battle at Nighstun. I felt so sorry for her, but, she was so much stronger zen I realized."

            Lynna chuckled slightly. "When I first saw her, all I could think of was that voice, that horrible, computer voice, but…I guess that's what made her what she was, right? I mean, she never tried to hide it, she always said what was on her mind, even if that stupid computer was talking for her. Just once, I would have like ta hear her real voice, I bet it was beautiful."

            They gave one final moment of silence for their friend, then slowly walked to the cavern entrance.

To be continued…


	25. The Keys of the Heavens: Chapter 3

_My name is James Masters, and I am a soldier of the Digitalatri, or rather, I once was. I was originally part of the London team, along with several others. We came from various backgrounds, and while we did not get along too well at first, we soon became the best of friends. Our connection grew stronger and stronger…_

_            That was until the Second Black Death, that was until we lost our first member, a young girl that claimed to be a member of the Royal Family…in truth she was distantly related. But her death completely tore the team apart. And then, my friends and fellow teammates began to die one by one until I was the only one left. Betamon and I found our way to the Digital World, and that was where the Priestess Miayag approached me and gave us the power to have Betamon evolve to his Mega form, Seadramon._

_            We used this power to fight for the name of the Digital God. However, that proved to be a lie, the God of the Digital World was GranDracmon, an ancient evil, who used us to resurrect himself. We decided that we should head to the three moons orbiting what was once the Digital World because of a dream Sora Takenouchi had. The digimon partners of the Daughters of the First were able to evolve their partners to their Fully Evolved forms, but Keeya Genet and Iduia Ramiro were killed by GranDracmon's Four Horsemen. On Earth, Kirahi, Miayag's replacement in Digitalatri, was gathering a group of Infected Chosen in the park, when Dingo Hogan stumbled upon them…_

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Key of the Heavens:_

_Chapter 3_

            Dingo leapt over a trash can as he charged down the sidewalk. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the congregation of Infected Chosen was charging down the street, He twisted his head back around and continued forward.

            "Are they still there?" Ganimon X asked, running at his side.

            "What do you think?" Dingo snapped.

            "Why aren't we fighting?" the crab asked.

            "Because we're gonna get killed, that's why!" he snapped, "We've got ta warn Taichi! He'll know what ta do!"

            They continued down the sidewalk, running as fast as they could, trying with all of their might to escape. However, they were becoming tired, and they knew it. It would not be long before they would simply fall to their knees, and then certain death. They had to escape.

            As they approached the end of a block, they quickly turned, hoping to lose them. However, as they leapt around the turn, they quickly slid to a stop. Standing before them was a another group of Infected Chosen, all with varying degrees of BD-2. Their partners were all trapped in the Child level, due to the side-affect of BD-2 coupled with the stress of passing through the Digital Gate. Even though, a hundred Child digimon could be a problem for even an adult X-digimon.

            Yet, Dingo knew that he did not have a choice. He grabbed his X-digivice. "Ganimon…"

            His partner nodded. "Right. Ganimon X evolve to Gesomon X!"

            The Infected Chosen shrunk back in surprise, but the boy with the Armadimon stood his ground. "Don't let him scare you! We must complete this mission for the Digital God!"

            "Listen ta me!" Dingo shouted, "The Digital God is a vampire named GranDracmon! He's just usin' ya to come ta Earth, and then he's gonna kill ya all!"

            "Lies!" the boy shouted, "You're lying!"

            "I'm tellin' ya the truth!" he shouted.

            The boy pointed his finger forward. "Kill them!"

            The digimon began to close in around them. Gesomon X was about to attack, when a group of Numemon leapt in to attack. Gesomon X swung his tentacle around, knocking them back. This left him open for an attack by a group of Elecmons. Their Sparkling Thunder attack struck him across the back. He twisted around, swinging his tentacle into the group of Mammal digimon. More digimon attacked him again. He growled in anger and extended his tentacles as far as they could, throwing most of the digimon back. Before more digimon could attack him around, he spun around in place as fast as he could, knocking the Infected Chosen and their partners into the air. Due to the tight circle they were crammed into, they did not move far, and leapt to tackle the squid to the ground.

            "Flower Cannon!"

            The group of digimon were suddenly thrown apart as a blast of energy struck them from behind. Dingo and Gesomon X shot their heads to the sky and saw Lillymon X hovering above them. Megaseadramon X was hovering above their heads as well, with Michael and Mimi riding upon his back.

            Dingo smiled. "Fancy meetin' ya guys here!"

            "More X-Chosen!" the boy with the Armadimon shouted, "Kill them now!"

            "Stop!" Mimi shouted, "You don't have to do this. I understand that you're hurt…"

            "Don't patronize us!" a girl shouted, "You're enemies of the Digital God, you must be exterminated!"

            Michael growled. "I'm getting really sick of this! Megaseadramon….!"

            "No, don't!" Mimi shouted, "Lilymon'll take care of it!" She nodded to her partner.

            The flower woman nodded and began to fly around in a circle. A wave of green pollen fell from her body and soon covered the large group below. As the Chosen and the digimon began to breath the green dust into their lungs, their eyes became heavy and began to drop.

            "Dingo!" Mimi shouted, "Cover your mouth!"

            The Australian man placed his hand over his mouth, but his partner did not hear the warning in time and Gesomon X fell to the ground, snoring loudly. He soon regressed to Ganimon X once again. Soon, the army of Infected Chosen joined him, and fell to the ground in sleep.

            "There," Mimi smiled, "That's better, we don't need to hurt them, they're just following what they believe in…"

            "Yeah, well I got bad news for ya," Dingo said, softly.

            "You don't need to talk so quietly," Lilymon X said, "My Sleep Petal will keep them asleep for about an hour, they're not going to wake up."

            The Australian man shook his head, "All right, whatever, listen, we've got ta warn Taichi and the others!"

            "Why?" Michael asked, "What's going on?"

            Dingo stared at him with a mixture of horror and panic. "GranDracmon's coming here."

111

            On the first moon of the Digital World, known as the Seraphimoon, Sora, Maria, Anna and their partners had reached the mysterious mountain that Patamon had seen upon their arrival on the small sphere. The lone, pointed hill was the only landmark on the entire moon, and so it was the group's only lead, and upon investigating the hill, they discovered a small cavern near the bottom. The three young women and their partners stared into the dark shadows of the tunnel.

            "So that's where we're going, right?" Patamon asked.

            "Yes," Maria said, peering into the dark cavern.

            Piyomon turned to her partner. "Aren't we going?"

            "Yeah, " Sora said, "I'm….I'm just wondering how deep the cave is, the flashlight runs on batteries."

            Anna stepped forward. "Is it that dangerous?"

            The redhead stared at her for a moment and remembered that Anna's everyday was covered in darkness. She reached up and gently rubbed the white bandage that was covering her missing eye and wondered how long before the infection spread to her remaining eye.

            "Sora?" the Russian woman asked.

             She sighed. "A cave floor isn't really the smoothest place, Maria might not be able to come with us at all…"

            "Oh," the younger woman pouted.

            "And what about you?" Anna asked, "I hate to speak about this, but you are not able to walk as well either."

            The redhead frowned. She sighed deeply. "Yeah…maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…" She shook her head and clenched the handles of her crutches tightly. "Damn it, what the hell was I thinking? I can't do this!"

            Maria stared at her. "S…Sora…"

            She smiled slightly at the Latino woman. "Sorry, Maria, I'm sorry I dragged you along because of my damn pride."

            Maria shook her head. "Sora, I came because you made me believe I could! You're so strong, Sora, don't give up, you can do anything."

            She slowly turned to her. "Please…" Maria said, "Please…"

            Sora took a deep breath, then smiled slightly. "I'm really starting to feel sorry for myself lately, huh?"

            "I've got an idea," Patamon said, "I'll evolve to Centarumon, and then Maria can ride my back."

            "That sounds like a good idea," Anna said.

            Maria quickly agreed. Her partner evolved to his Adult form, and Maria climbed from her wheelchair and onto his back.

Sora nodded, "All right, let's go, and just be careful."

            The group stepped forward and approached the dark cave. Before they could step across the perimeter, a strange wind blew from deep within the cavern, forcing them all to stop in their tracks.

            "What was that?" Anna's Penmon asked.

            Before anyone could respond, a low, mysterious voice echoed from within the cavern. "_You are they that serve Taichi Yagami, King of the X-Chosen?"_

            The group glanced at once another, then Sora nodded. "Yes."

            The voice was silent for a moment before speaking once again. _"You are Anna Danika of Wind, Maria Silvano of Earth, and Sora Takenouchi of Fire, Queen of the Daughters of the First, correct?"_

            "Queen?" Piyomon asked, turning to glance at her partner, "You're a Queen?"

            Sora did not respond to her partner, but kept her gaze on the darkened cavern. "Yes, that's right."

            "_Then enter._"

            Sora switched on the flashlight before they entered the dark cavern and continued forward. Anna kept one hand on the wall to help guide them. They walked in silence for a full minute before the ground suddenly gave way beneath them and they fell into nothingness….

            "Sora! Sora!"

            The redheaded woman slowly felt herself returned to consciousness. She felt a sharp pain in the front of her head, and she came to the conclusion that she was lying on the ground. Piyomon was yelling to her, but she could not see her, nor anything. She must have dropped the flashlight.

            "Sora!"

            "I'm okay, I'm awake," she said, pushing herself into a seated position, "Are the others here?"

            "No," her partner responded, "I can't see them."

            "Can you see the flashlight?" Sora asked, "I can't see anything."

            "You can't see anything?" Piyomon asked.

            "No," Sora responded, "Where's the flashlight?"

            "Sora….we don't need the flashlight, it's really bright in here…"

            "What?" Sora asked.

            Piyomon stared at her partner, who was sitting on the ground in the center of a clearing in the cavern. Holes in the wall, near the ceiling, were large enough to allow the light from the sun to flow into the chamber. The pink bird ran to stand in front of Sora and she waved her wings in front of her face.

            "Sora…" she said, her voice quivering, "C…can't you see me?"

            "N…no," the redhead said, "P…Piyomon, I'm completely blind." The full brunt of the revelation crashed into her and she collapsed to the ground.

            "I'm blind…I'm blind!"

            Piyomon stared at her face. "Sora, your right eye's still there."

            Sora reached up and touched her remaining eye. "So?" she asked, "BD-2 probably ate away the back or something….Oh God, I'm blind!"

            She began to cry from her remaining eye as she fell to the ground. Piyomon stared at her partner, unsure of what to do. She wanted to help her with every fiber of her being, but she did not know how. She had found Sora's crutches lying at the base of the slope they had no doubt fallen down.

            Piyomon gently rubbed her partner's back. "Sora, I…we need to look for the others…"

            "What's the use!" she snapped, "I can't even see anymore…"

            The pink bird was not sure how to approach her; she wanted to let her be alone and sort it out, yet she knew that time was running out, and they had to make certain that the others in their group were not harmed.

            "Sora," Piyomon said, "We've got to look for Maria and Anna…"

            She did not answer.

            "And…we've got to see if there's something here to stop GranDracmon…"

            "Piyomon," she said, "What good am I going to be? I can't see anything!"

            "Sora," she said, "What about Anna? She's blind too, and she never gave up, did she? She kept going, didn't she?"

            "Piyomon, I'm useless now…"

            She could not believe her ears. She had never seen her partner like this before. "Sora…" She took a deep breath, "Sora, we have to look for Maria and the others. They could be really hurt, are you just going to leave them like that?"

            "But Piyomon…"

            "I'll guide you," she said, "I've got your crutches right here, now come on."

            The redhead reached out and grabbed her crutches. She felt Piyomon's wing onto her leg. "Now let's go."

            They began to walk forward, calling out the names of their missing friends. Piyomon called out with worry and fear in her voice, yet Sora's calls were half-hearted. She truly wanted her friends to be safe, she truly did, but the darkness that she now saw within her eyes filled her with fear and terror.

            As she limped forward, she could only think of her new condition, her new handicap. She could no longer be a fashion designer, how could she see what she was creating? Could she even live alone anymore? She did experience a slight calmness when she thought of living with Taichi, but even that brought her no comfort. How could she live with him if she could not do the simplest tasks? She thought of Anna, but even the accomplishments that the Russian woman had done did not give her hope.

            Piyomon noticed that Sora had stopped moving. She turned to her and saw that she was crying from her remaining eye. "Sora…" she said.

            "I'm…I'm sorry," she said, taking a deep breath to calm herself, "Okay, let's go."

            The pink bird began to walk forward, but Sora was not yet ready, so her wing slipped from around the redhead's leg. The young woman felt a bust of fear. "Piyomon!" she shouted, "Piyomon!"

            "I'm right here," her partner answered, placing her wing onto Sora's leg, "I'm right here."

            "Don't leave again!" she said, panting heavily. Her heart was threatening to leap through her chest.

            Piyomon nodded, then held tightly to her partner as they made their way forward. The illuminated cavern they been traveling through soon came to an end with a rock wall and a small opening that was wide enough for only one person. Sora was shaking as Piyomon released her grip on her leg to step through. When the redhead had passed through the opening, she screamed out her partner's name. "Piyomon, where are you?! Piyomon?!"

            "Sora!" her partner shouted, "Anna and Maria are right here, they look like they're unconscious, but they're really close to a cliff or something."

            "What?" she asked.

            Piyomon stared at the room they were now in, an equally illuminated area, this one with a sharp ravine in the center. Anna, Maria, and their partners were lying dangerously close to the ledge. She wondered how they could have perfectly arrived in that position, but figured that they could determine that after they were moved to safety. She grabbed hold of Sora's leg and they began to move forward.

            Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. "What's going on?" Sora shouted.

            Piyomon twisted her head around and saw a figure standing in the passage they had entered, a figure draped in a blue cape and carrying a large wand. "Wizardmon?" the pink bird gasped.

            He shook his head. "My name is Sorcerymon, and you are not wanted here."

            "We were told to enter!" the bird protested.

            Sorcerymon ignored her and charged forward. Piyomon pushed Sora to the side and Sorcerymon's staff crashed to the ground.

            "What's going on?" Sora shouted.

            "We're under attack!" Piyomon shouted, "Sora, you have to evolve me!"

            The redhead nodded and reached for her digivice, which was attached to a belt that she wore around her dress. She was not sure where Piyomon was, so she just pointed the device into the air. She felt the familiar connection and heard her partner shout out, "Piyomon evolve to Birdramon!"

            She suddenly realized that she did not know where the battle was taking place, and a horrified thought entered her mind, she would not know if she was seconds away from being injured. She knew that Anna could hear the sound of battle, so she tried to listen to the sounds around her, but her heart was pounding far too fast for her to concentrate.

            Birdramon hovered in the air, staring down at Sorcerymon. The magical digimon pointed his staff at the hovering firebird. "Crystal Barrage!" Waves of sharp ice shot from the tip of the staff towards the hovering bird. She quickly darted out of the way,

            She began to flap her wings to execute her Meteor Wing technique, but thought better of it. Sora was blindly standing on the ground, how would she know to move in time?

            "Crystal Barrage!"

            Birdramon darted to the side just in time, however, as she did, her wings clipped the side of the cavern. This caused the walls to shake, which, in turn, caused the ground to shake. The ground beneath the unconscious Anna and Maria jarred lose, and the group began to slid towards the cliff edge.

            "Sora!" Birdramon shouted, "Anna and Maria are falling into the cliff, you've got to save them!"

            "What?" she gasped, "I…I don't know where they are!"

            Birdramon dodged another attack from Sorcerymon, keeping her eyes on the scene below. "They're right to your left! Sora, you're got to hurry!"

            The redhead twisted her head, but all she saw was darkness. "Piyomon, I…I can't…!"

            "Sora, you have to!" she screamed, "They're going to die, Sora!"

            The redhead dropped down to her knees. "I…I…."

            "Sora!"

            She lifted her head in defiance of her fear and began to crawl forward. As she did, she felt a sharp pain in her head once more. To her surprise, the darkness began to part, and she was able to see once more.

            "I can see!" she gasped, "I can…" She twisted her head around in an effort to see Anna and Maria; when she did, she was certain that her vision had not completely returned, as the two young women and their partner were hovering in the air, safely suspended over the deep ravine, still unconscious, but hovering none-the-less.

            She turned to her partner, and found that Birdramon was staring at who she deduced was Sorcerymon, who was glowing brightly, evolving or transforming into a larger, winged digimon.

            "What's going on here?" Sora demanded.

            The winged digimon answered. "_My name is Seraphimon, and I have been waiting here for a very long time."_

            "What?" Birdramon asked.

            _"Following the war with GranDracmon, Ophanimon, Cherubimon and I used our power to seal him within the center of the Digital World. We took our place within the heavens, and our lives eventually passed, returning our bodies to Digitamas, those Digitamas eventually grew to large planets…"_

            "This is your Digitama?" Birdramon asked.

            "_This moon grew around that Digitama,"_ he answered, _"A Digitama I will now give to you, but before I could, I needed to test you to determine your character and strength."_

            "Test?" Sora asked.

            _"Your greatest fear is to lose your sight, is it not? When your friends were in danger, you overcame that fear and began to move forward to save them. You overcame your fear to save those your care for, just as Taichi did for you so many years ago."_

            She thought of Taichi saving her from Datamon. "So this was all a test?"

            Seraphimon nodded. _"Yes, that is correct, and necessary."_

            The redhead mentioned to Anna, Maria and their partners. "What about our friends?"

            _"They are merely sleeping, and will not remember this encounter. You must tell them after returning to your world."_ As he spoke, a glowing orb appeared over his shoulder, which floated over to Sora. She lend forward on her crutches and grabbed the egg within her hands.

            "What's this suppose to do anyway?" she asked.

            _"That you must discover on your own. I have the power to return you to Earth."_

            Sora nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

            _"Stand beside your friends, and I shall return you home."_

            The redhead and her partner began to walk to their still-unconscious friends. "I'm sorry," Sora said.

            "What?" Birdramon asked.

            "I was acting like such a baby when I couldn't see. He was right, I was scared of being blind, more scared then anything in my life."

            "And now…?"

            She shrugged slightly. "We'll have to see, but maybe I'm not so scared anymore. I know that if I do become blind, I won't let it stop me from living…and helping those I care for."

            Birdramon smiled as Seraphimon's energy enveloped them in a burst of light.

111

            On the central moon, Noriko, Catherine, Lynna and their partners were staring at the entrance to their own cavern. "Aren't we goin' inside?" Lynna asked.

            "Just a second," Noriko said, "It's a little dark inside…"

            Catherine chuckled slightly. "Really?"

The Chinese/Japanese woman glared at her. "If you've got something to say, then just say it."

            The French woman smiled. "It is just odd zat ze Daughter of Darkness is afraid of going into a dark cave."

            "I'm not afraid of anything!" Noriko shouted, "And just remember, _you_'_re_ going to be powerless without the sun!"

            "What are you talking about?" she snapped, "I have more power zen you!"

            As they began to argue, Gizamon turned to Lynna. "Aren't we going to stop them?"

            The Australian woman shrugged. "I dunno, if they start with their fists, I kinda wanna see who wins." She leaned in closer, "My money's on Noriko."

            Catherine's ears perked. She twirled to face Lynna. "What? What do you mean by that?"

            "Well, it's just that…"

            "You know, _my_ power helped Yamato and Gabumon evolve to Mega!"

            Noriko glared at her. "That's only because _my_ power was already there! You just built on _my_ hard work!"

            "Hard work?!"

            Lynna chuckled. "See, this is why it's so fun to hang with these girls."

            Floramon stepped between the two young women. "Why don't we just go inside?"

            Noriko frowned and turned away from Catherine and stared at the dark cavern. "Come on."

            Catherine glared at the Japanese women's back, while further behind Lynna snickered slightly. Once they were standing directly before the cavern, a wind exploded from within, chilling them all.

            "What the hell was that?" Noriko asked, hugging herself.

            "I dunno," Lynna said, "But that was even cold for me!"

            A voice began to echo from within the cavern. "_You are they that serve Yamato Ishida, Prince of the X-Chosen?"_

            "Yamato's a Prince?" Catherine asked.

            Noriko kept her attention to the darkness within the cavern. "Yeah…everything you just said, that's right."

            "_You are Lynna Jeffry of Water, Catherine Rupert of Light and Noriko Kawada of Darkness, Princess of the Daughters of the First?"_

            "_Princess?!_" Catherine exclaimed, "How iz it zat you are a princess?"

            Lynna rubbed her chin. "Well, let's see, if Yamato's a prince and Noriko's a princess…then I guess Taichi's a king and Sora's a queen?"

            "How come I do not get a title?" Catherine frowned.

            The voice continued to speak. _"Please enter then, Daughters of the First."_

            Noriko nodded to the disembodied voice and walked forward. The others followed and stepped inside. The light continued to stream in through the main entrance, illuminating the immediate area. As they began to walk further into the cavern, Noriko began to shiver.

            "Cold?" Plotmon asked.

            "No..." she said, "It's something else…the darkness, it's...it's just not right…"

            She turned around to speak to the others, only to find that they were not there. "Catherine?" Noriko shouted, "Lynna? Floramon? Gizamon? Hello? Guys?" Despite her fevered cries, there was no answer. She and Plotmon were alone.

            "Where the hell did they disappear to?" Noriko asked, "They were right behind us."

            "Let's backtrack," Plotmon suggested, "Maybe they fell down a hole or something."

            The two females walked back up the path, but found nothing. The other members of their group had simply vanished into thin air.

            "Shit," Noriko muttered, "Now what?"

            Without anything else to do, they began to walk back down the path until they arrived within a larger room, one with a domed ceiling. Plotmon glanced around. "A dead end?"

            Noriko mentioned to the far wall. "I see a doorway down there. Let's go check it out."

            "Are you sure?" the Child digimon asked, "Lynna and the others disappeared behind us, shouldn't we go looking for them?"

            Noriko shook her head. "I don't think they're back there. The darkness…there was something…fucked-up about it. There's something else here, and that…thing, took them."

            Plotmon nodded. "But why us?"

            Noriko did not answer. Instead, she began to walk forward. Plotmon sighed slightly and followed. They passed through the domed cavern and entered the doorway at the end. They then saw a sight that completely surprised them, a female figure draped in dark robes and standing before a small pool of water.

            Noriko and Plotmon gave a surprised gasp. "I am sorry to startle you," the female figure said.

            Noriko nodded. "Who are you?"

            "My name is not important."

            "Are you the one that was talking to us outside of the cave?" Plotmon asked.

            "Yes," the female said, "But I had to separate you from the rest of your team."

            "Separate us?" Plotmon asked, raising an eyebrow."

            "Yes," she said, "It was your depression and anger that called to me."

            "Depression?" Noriko asked, "We're not depressed."

            "You are lying to yourself," she answered, "I can help you."

            "This is ridiculous!" Plotmon sighed, "Noriko, ask her where…Noriko?" The Child digimon was horrified to see that her partner was staring intently at the figure.

            "What do you mean you can help?" she asked.

            The female began to wave her hands over the pool of water. "I know everything about you Noriko Kawada. You mask your depression and insecurity behind anger."

            The Japanese woman continued to stare at her. Plotmon could not believe it, but this mysterious female seemed to have reached something deep within her.

            "What are you saying?" Noriko asked.

            The female continued to wave her hands over the pool. "If you wish to overcome your problems, then you must overcome the source of your depression and insecurity."

            "And what would that be?" Plotmon asked, rolling her eyes.

            The female maneuvered her hands over the pool of water. The liquid shimmered for a moment, twisting and turning until an image appeared in the reflection, the face of a familiar young woman.

            "Catherine?" Noriko gasped.

            "That is correct," the female answered, "The one called Catherine Rupert is your rival, your opposite. She is the light, you are the dark. Everything you are, she is not, and everything she is, you are not. She is attractive, cheerful, beautiful, she is liked by everyone, including Yamato Ishida."

            Noriko did not respond, only continued to stare into the water.

            The female continued, "Catherine outshines you in every respect, and as time moves forward, she will win Yamato for herself. If you wish to prevent this, if you wish your depression and anxiety to leave, then you must remove Catherine Rupert, you must cleanse her from all worlds, from life itself…"

            "Noriko!" Plotmon shouted, "Noriko, you can't listen to this. She's wrong!"

            The Japanese woman shook her head. "No, Plotmon, she isn't."

            The small digimon felt her blood turn cold. "What?"

            Noriko took a deep breath. "She's not wrong, she's completely right. I…I am jealous of Catherine. I mean, look at her, she might have lost her hair to BD-2, but she could still be a supermodel or something, and she's rich, she's so…so cheerful and happy…"

            "Noriko…"

            The young woman smiled slightly and stared at the mysterious female. "And you're right, everything Catherine is, I'm not, but you know what? That's just who I am. Sure, maybe I'm not as pretty as Catherine, or as cheerful, but I don't need to compare myself against her! When she and Sora were both captured by the Demon Lords, _I_ was the one that kept the other Daughters together, _I_ was the one that gave Yamato the power to defeat Chimeramon in Nightsun, and _I_ was even the one that helped _rescues_ Catherine. I'm not Catherine, but that doesn't mean I'm any less who I am. And I know that Yamato loves me, so you know, I've got nothing to feel insecure about, nothing at all."

            The female began to laugh slightly. "Well done, Noriko, well done. You have passed this test."

            "Test?" Plotmon asked.

            The robes of the female vanished and she revealed herself to be a woman with large wings emerging from her back. _"Please forgive me, my name is Ophanimon, and I have been waiting here since the war against GranDracmon."_

            "This was just a test?" Noriko asked.

            _"Yes, you had to overcome your jealously and insecurity against Catherine, just as Yamato Ishida did against Taichi Yagami. And to reward you, I shall present to you my Digitama. Please accept it now."_

            She held out her hands, and a glowing orb appeared within her palms. It floated forward, and Noriko gently grasped it. The Japanese woman stared at her. "What about the others?"

            Ophanimon mentioned over Noriko's shoulder. She turned and saw their missing members standing within the doorway to the smaller room. They were all staring directly at her, but their eyes were glossed over. "What did you do to them?" Plotmon demanded.

            _"They are not aware of their surroundings at this moment. They will not remember this encounter, but they will be fine once I return you to your world."_

            "Wait, how does your Digitama defeat GranDracmon?"

            Ophanimon glanced to the ground. _"That, I'm afraid, you must discover on your own. Think of it as another test."_

            Noriko muttered something.

            "_Now please, Daughter of Darkness, take your place with your friends, and I will send you home."_

            Noriko and Plotmon walked to stand beside the others. Plotmon turned to her partner. "Yamato's going to be really proud of you, you know."

            The Japanese woman smiled as Ophanimon's light enveloped them. "Yeah…I can't wait to tell him."

111

            On the third moon, the four members of Miayag's Digitalatri were standing before their own mysterious cavern, at the base of a large ravine. Keiko narrowed her eyes as she stared at the entrance. "I wonder what's inside of there."

            "We're going inside, right?" her Kunemon asked.

            "Yes we are," Hiroshi answered.

            Takashi crossed his arms. "I still think this is a trap that the X-Chosen set up."       

            "Yeah, we know," James frowned, "And I'm telling you that you're too paranoid."

            He turned away. "I just want to be cautious."

            Hiroshi smiled slightly. "If we wanted to be cautious, we shouldn't have even agreed to do this." He nodded at the others. "Come on."

            The group walked towards the entrance of the cavern, when a cold wind exploded from the darkness, enveloping them. They all shivered violently, but before they could speak, a voice boomed from within, _"You are they that serve Megumi Seisou, known as Chihi Miayag, Lady of the Digitalatri?_"

            "Who said that?" Takashi demanded.

            _"That is not important now, please answer the question. You are they that serve Megumi Seisou, known as Chihi Miayag, Lady of the Digitalatri?"_

            "Yes," Hiroshi answered, "We are."

            The voice was silent for a moment before speaking again. _"You are James Masters, Takashi Yuuske, Keiko Shingu, and Hiroshi Shibya, General of the Digitalatri?"_

            "That is correct," Hiroshi answered.

            "_Then enter this cavern, and be prepared to face your inner darkness._"

            The Digitalatri glanced at one another, then walked into the darkness of the cavern. As they walked forward, the darkness began to swirl, until the shadows parted, revealing a familiar sight to the Digitalatri, an image of a collapsing church, with a young woman standing on the altar, along with three young adults.

            "I remember this day," Hiroshi said.

            "This was the day we met Lady Miayag," Keiko answered.

            Like a recording being displayed on a screen, the image began to proceed as it had on that day so long ago…

_            Miayag raised her arms. "Keiko, Takashi, Hiroshi, do you wish to be saved?"_

_Takashi agreed, while Hiroshi nodded slightly at Keiko. The slightly overweight girl stared at Miayag. "I speak for myself and Hiroshi, since he can't, and we wish to be saved."_

_She nodded. "Yes, and so you will, but to you the God of the Digital World shall give you the greatest power he has bestowed upon his followers. However, you must first prove your worth…" She mentioned to the altar behind her, where they could now see that Noriko, Maria were tied and bound in the center; their digimon had been regressed to their Child forms, and all were being guarded by Tatum, Sam, and their new partners, Archnemon and Mummymon._

_"Noriko?" Takashi gasped._

_"That's right," Miayag grinned, "If you want to prove yourselves to receive the Digital God's greatest gift, then you must kill them!"_

_Takashi, Noriko and Hiroshi stared in horror at Maria and especially Noriko, who was staring back at them in equal horror. "Takashi…" she gasped, staring at her young friend. She turned to the other girl. "Keiko…" They only turned away. When she turned to Hiroshi, the young man stared at her with unemotional eyes. He nodded at Keiko and Takashi, who nodded slowly as well._

_Keiko struggled to speak. "W…we choose their deaths."_

_Miayag smiled. "Excellent." She walked forward and handed Hiroshi a sharp dagger. "Began…"_

_The Japanese young man stepped forward the dagger glistening in the evening light. He approached Noriko, who continued to plead with her eyes. Behind her, Centarumon's child form, Patamon, and Noriko's partner, Plotmon, stood defensively in front of Maria. Hiroshi's eyes were cold as he moved the knife into position at Noriko's neck…_

            Keiko watched with mixed emotions, but when she saw Hiroshi place the knife against Noriko's neck, she was forced to turn away. "Keiko?" Hiroshi asked.

            She buried her face in his chest. "I can't believe what we did to her! She…she was our friend, and look what we did!"

            "She turned her back on us!" Takashi protested.

            "But we didn't have to nearly kill her!" she shook her head violently, "If Yagami and Ishida didn't save her…then we would have…"

            "Guys," James said, "Something's happening…"

            The group looked at the image, only to see that it had changed, this time to an image of a city surrounded by a thick wall. "Nightsun…" James said.

            Keiko watched in horror as she saw an image of herself leading the forces of the Digitalatri against the citizens of the small city. An image of Hiroshi was standing in the rear, along with Miayag. The group watched as the Digitalatri army brutally assaulted the Nightsun population.

            "We destroyed their city," James said, "We destroyed their homes…"

            Even Takashi frowned at the image. "Yeah…you're right…after everything we did, it's no wonder the X-Chosen don't trust us…"

            "What about Lady Miayag?" Keiko asked, "How is she feeling?"

            Hiroshi stared at the scene being displayed before him. He smiled slightly and looked to the sky. "I don't know who you are or why you're showing these things to us, but if you're trying to break our spirits, it won't work. Yes, we've done things that we now regret, but everything we did, was at the request of Lady Miayag. She's the one that gave us hope when we didn't have any. And now our beliefs were nothing but a lie, we will make up for it every day for the rest of our lives if need be. We know we've made mistakes, but we won't feel sorry for ourselves any longer!"

            The images around them suddenly dissolved, revealing the rocks of the interior of the cavern. "All right," James's Betamon said, "Now what?"

            Keiko Kunemon mentioned forward. "Him!"

            The group twisted their heads until they saw a transparent image of a large, dark creature. "Who the hell are you?" Keiko shouted.

            _"My name is Cherubimon,"_ he said.

            "Cherubimon?" James asked, "You mean, one of the Three Great Angels that battled GranDracmon?"

            "_That is correct,"_ he replied, "_You have no doubt come seeking the power I posses. In order to achieve that power, you had to prove yourselves worthy, which you did. All beings do make mistakes, all beings commit acts that they may latter regret, but only by striving to correct those mistakes, will they be redeemed. Self-pity only works for so long, action is what is needed. So, to you I now give, my digitama, which contains my power."_

            He held up his palm, and a glowing object appeared. It floated to Keiko, and she caught it within her hands.

            "What does this do?" Takashi asked.

            _"That you must discover on your own,"_ he replied, _"Now, you must hurry back to your world, for GranDracmon is coming."_

            "He's coming to Earth?" Hiroshi gasped, "So soon?"

            _"Yes,"_ Cherubimon said, _"I have the power to transport you back to your home. Stand together, and it shall be done."_

            The group huddled together, and Cherubimon raised his palms. The Digitalatri felt the angel's energy envelop them, bringing them back to their world.

111

            Deep within the Dark Area, GranDracmon stared down at three of his Four Horsemen. "Oiri, Matut, Asm," he grinned, "The time is quickly approaching. Kirahi is gathering the energy needed for my arrival in the human world."

            He threw his arms into the air and laughed with maniacal glee. "And I will rule over the human world, and those miserable flesh and bone creatures will pay! The First Chosen are dead, but I will have revenge on the rest of their entire species! The human world will burn, and then the digimon will take over, and we will make Earth the new Digital World!"

_The Keys to the Heavens hath ended, the Book of Armageddon now begins._


	26. Armageddon: Chapter 1

_I am Chihi Miayag, Priestess of the Digitalatri, and the end of the world is quickly approaching. I weep not only for the end of Earth, but because it is I who have brought this destruction upon us. I was foolish enough to believe the promises of the being who claimed to be the God of the Digital World, but he was a demon of the vilest order, GranDracmon. Since he has revealed himself to me, I have been removed from his service, (a move that I do not regret), but I yet remain the Priestess of the Digitalatri. I wish that Hiroshi, Keiko, James and Takashi would leave to follow their own lives, for although I strived to save them, I have only brought them further pain. I can now only hope to avert the coming of GranDracmon, and save that which I once would have destroyed…_

_"It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle." __Norman Schwarzkopf_

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Armageddon:_

_Chapter 1_

            After the Daughters of the First and the Digitalatri returned to Earth, they traveled to Jyou's apartment, which had quickly become their conference place. Sora hugged Taichi tightly, while Noriko ran to Yamato.

            "I'm glad you're safe," Yamato said, "I was getting worried."

            She shrugged slightly. "Well…" she eyed Catherine staring at her, "I'll tell you later…"

            Miayag stood before her four warriors. "Well done," she smiled, "Well done."

            Mimi glanced around. "Where's Iduia and Keeya?"

            The Daughters hesitated for a moment, before they each turned their heads to the side. Hikari gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh no…oh no…."

            The room was silent for a few moments before Dingo spoke. "Just another reason to kick GranDracmon's ass."

            Taichi sighed. "What about those…spheres that you guys got? What do they do?"

            "We don't know," Sora frowned, "Seraphimon told me that we'd have to figure it out ourselves."

            "What about the Machina Codex?" Jyou suggested.

            "Mina was looking it over," Yamato said, "I think if it said anything more about those angels, she'd have said so."

            "We've got ta figure it out soon," Dingo said, "'cause GranDracmon's commin! Those Digitalatri…" He eyed Miayag and her soldiers, "Those other Digitalatri were in the park! They're gatherin' energy or somethin!"

            "Right now?" Catherine gasped.

            Taichi turned to Miayag. "What exactly do they need to do in order to get GranDracmon here?"

            The former priestess shook her head. "I do not know. If they are already praying for him to arrive, then I would assume they are close."

            "We need to know for sure," Taichi frowned.

            "Spy mission?" Lynna asked.

            He nodded. "Any volunteers?"

            "I know where they are," Dingo said.

            "Me and Michael'll go," Mimi smiled slightly.

            "You sure?" Sora asked, "We can…"

            "Sora," the other woman said, "We don't know how long before we have to fight GranDracmon, why don't you just spend what little time you can with Taichi."

            The redheaded woman blushed slightly. Mimi turned to the others. "That goes for the rest of you, enjoy it while you can."

            "Wow," Jyou said, "Mimi…you've sure grown up "

            She shrugged slightly and turned to Michael. "I guess I just needed some inspiration…"

            "Just keep us informed," Taichi said.

            "No problem," Michael said, "We'll be back as soon as we can."

            "Just be careful," Hikari said.

            The husband and wife, along with their digimon partners, exited the apartment.

111

            The young nurse smiled slightly as Taichi, Hikari, Miayag and Sora entered the floor in the hospital. "Hello," she said.

            "Hello," Hikari responded, "How is she?"

            "There's been no change," the nurse said, "But, that means that nothing bad has happened either. You need look on the positive side."

            "Yes," Hikari answered, "Thank you."

            They walked down the hall, and Sora paused in front of the room. "You can come inside if you want," Taichi said.

            She hesitated and looked at Miayag and Hikari. "Maybe I'd just better wait here."

            He nodded and joined his sister and his cousin inside the hospital room: his mother's unconscious body was still lying within the hospital bed, tubes emerging from her arms, and an oxygen mask attached to her face. Hikari was reminded momentarily of Iduia, which threatened to bring tears to her eyes, but she held them back.

            Miayag sighed. "This is just like my mother…"

            "Your mother?" Hikari asked, "You know, I..I just realized, I don't know anything about Aunt Kumiko. What was she like?"

            Miayag was silent for a moment. "A woman who lived between two worlds. My parents were both users of narcotics, and after I was born, they both strived to stop. My father was given a proposal by one of his friends to start selling those drugs, but my mother convinced him to refuse. He was then killed. My mother tried to raise me as best she could, but the stress became too much for her, and she returned to drugs. She would never allow me anywhere near those narcotics, and I could tell that she wanted to stop with every fiber of her being, but could not."

            She glanced to the ground. "I was becoming so tired of calling the hospital every time that she overdosed, but then one day…she…" She shook her head, the tears in her eyes drying.

            "I'm sorry," Hikari said, "I…I really didn't…"

            The priestess turned to the unconscious woman. "Do they know how long she will remain like this?"

            Taichi shook his head. "No, they don't."

            The younger woman sighed again.

            Taichi stared at her for a moment, then glanced over her shoulder to where Sora was waiting outside. "I'm…uh…."

            Hikari nodded. "Yeah, I'd better go too." She turned to her cousin, "Are you coming?"

            "If it is okay with you, _juushi_, I would like to remain here."

            Hikari nodded and she and her brother exited the room, leaving the younger woman with the aunt that she never knew.

111

            Noriko walked closely beside Yamato as he traveled up the dirt path. She wanted to say something to him, but chose to keep silent until they arrived at their destination. She surveyed their surroundings: green trees, bright green grass, birds chirping in the sky, a truly beautiful place. It was serene and peaceful, a perfect setting for a cemetery.

            The brown-haired girl continued in silence as the blond man took a sharp right off of the path without even looking. She was surprised for a moment, then wondered why, he had probably been through this path many times before. She simply followed.

            They walked between a row of headstones until they arrived at a tombstone that was seated within an open area. Yamato turned to Noriko. "This is it."

            The young woman stood at his side and glanced at the stone. "Takeru Takashi," she read from the engraving, "May you now fly with the angels. That's…that's beautiful."

            Yamato nodded slowly. "Yes, I thought so."

            "I'm sorry that he's not here anymore," she said, "He was always so mature and…heroic."

            The blond man took a deep breath, then turned to her. "Noriko, there's a reason that I wanted you to come with me to see him."

            "W…what?"

            "Takeru died of the Second Black Death," he said, "and we didn't have any idea what was going on, but…but now that we know what it is….I…." He shook his head violently, "I…I don't know what I'm trying to say, so I'm just going to simply say it…"

            He turned to face her. "Noriko, life is short, and I don't know how long either of us have…Noriko, I want to be with you, and stay with you, for the rest of my life."      

            The young woman was in silent shock. She had dreamed of this moment for what seemed like so long, and now, she could do nothing but blush. Yamato was silent, staring directly into her eyes, and she finally found her voice. "Y…Yamato, I…I….I want to be with you too, forever."

            The blond man grinned and grasped Noriko by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly. Noriko was stunned for a moment, before reaching around his back and hugging him as well.

            The embraced couple was unseen by all except for one, a young woman who was standing a distance away, spying at them from behind a tree. She stared at them holding to each other and smiled slightly. Then Catherine slowly exited the cemetery.

111

            Hikari entered the building lobby and walked to the young woman seated behind the rounded desk. She smiled at her. "Yes, can I help you?"

            Hikari nodded. "My name is Hikari Yagami and I'm here to see…"

            Before the receptionist could respond, one of the elevator doors on the wall behind her slid open and a blond haired young man stepped into the lobby. "Hello Hikari."

            The brown-haired young woman grinned and ran to his side, hugging him. "Hello, Mitsuo."

            "I wasn't excepting you today," he said.

            "I know," she responded, "But…something important's about to happen, and…and I just wanted to see you…"

            Mitsuo stared at her for a moment. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

            She hesitated, her eyes darting to the receptionist. Mitsuo nodded and led her to an area in the waiting area away from the receptionist and the people walking from the front door to the elevators. "What's wrong?" he asked.

            She lowered her voice. "A major evil digimon is planning on invading the city."

            "What?" he gasped.

            She nodded. "Yes, that's right. We're going to try and stop him with everything that we've got, but…" she frowned, "We've already lost three of our friends…and…and I don't know if…."

            He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're worried that someone else is going to die, like your brother?"

            "Yes," she said, "But…I'm wondering if…_I_'m going to…you know." She took a deep breath, "How long have we been going out?"

            "About a year, I think."

            She nodded. "That's right. I was coming back from visiting Takeru Takashi's grave, and I had a bad day at work, and I was really depressed, and so I started crying when I was walking home, and I passed you on the sidewalk. You stopped me and asked if anything was wrong."

            He smiled. "Yeah, I do remember, and you started crying into my shoulder."

            She nodded. "You've been so good to me, and you've been there for me whenever I needed you. I….I just wanted you to know…in case I don't…."

            He hugged her. "I'm sure whatever happens, you'll be safe, you, your brother, and your friends."

            She sighed. "I sure hope so…"

111

            Maria positioned her wheelchair before Jyou's desktop computer and logged into her e-mail account. She scanned the messages until her eyes focused on one with the title message "pic from home." She grinned and clicked on the message, and the screen soon displayed an image of a cityscape with a setting sun in the background, illuminating the sky in an orange haze. She smile and lend back in her seat, simply staring at the picture.

            "Hey, Maria, what's up?"

            The Latino woman turned to the door. "Oh, hello Lynna."

The Australian woman glanced over her shoulder at the computer monitor. "What'cha lookin' at?"

            She smiled once more. "This is a picture of my home, New York City."

            Lynna peered in closer. "So, that's New York, eh?"

            Maria nodded. "My half-brother, Lino, took it using his digital camera yesterday."

            "Half-brother?" Lynna asked.

            The younger woman nodded. "Yes, we have the same father, but different mothers."

            "I thought you said that you didn't have any brothers or sisters?"

            She hesitated. "It's…hard to explain..

            The older woman shrugged. "If ya don' wanna say, that's fine."

            She nodded. "While I love my father and step-brother so much, it's obvious that my father always wanted a son. He and my mother were divorced six years ago, five years ago, he remarried, and four years ago, my half-brother was born."

            The Australian woman blinked in surprise. "Wow, you're a lot older then him, huh?"

            She smiled slightly. "I am fourteen years older then him, it's an…odd relationship."

            Lynna nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think a lot a dads wants boys…probably just like moms want girls…" She smiled slightly, "I wouldn't mind havin a boy…after one or two girls."

            Maria just shrugged. "I think its kind of early to be thinking of that. I don't even have a boyfriend yet."

            "Eh, you'll find someone, just give it time," she smiled, "Trust me, ya got the looks, plus ya got ta have the nicest personality I've ever seen."

            Maria started to blush, "S…stop, please…"

            The Australian woman grinned and lightly patted Maria's shoulder. "We're gonna order out, ya want anything?"

            She thought for a moment. "I…don't really mind…"

            Lynna chuckled, "Ya, I don't know how we're gonna order either, since none of us speak Japanese, but we'll think of somethin."

            Maria smiled as she watched the young woman leave. She then began to type her response to her half-brother.

111

            Michael placed his binoculars over his eyes as he focused on the congregation assembled in the park. "Well?" Betamon X asked.

            "There's about a hundred Chosen there," he responded, "All infected with BD-2."

            "What are they doing?" Mimi asked.

            "I don't know," he said. He adjusted his binoculars and scanned the large crowd of Infected Chosen. He followed the group up to the center of the semicircle they had arranged themselves in and saw four figures that resembled: Sam, Tatum, Iori and Hikari.

            "The Four Horsemen are here."

            "Here?" Palmon X gasped, "They're all here?"

            "Shh!" Michael ordered, "They're starting to talk."

            Within the trees of the park, the Horseman of Death, the Hikari-doppelganger, Kirahi, raised her hands to the sky. "My fellow Chosen, the time is almost upon us! The supreme god of the Digital World is calling to us, we must give more of ourselves, we must sacrifice more energy, to open the gate and bring him here! And once our god has set foot upon this world, we will be safe from persecution and execution! My fellow Chosen, raise your hands, and bring our god here!"

            The Infected Chosen all instantly obeyed. They raised their arms to the sky and closed their eyes. They fueled and pooled their energy together, striving to bring their omnipotent lord to them so that he may smith their enemies and bring them salvation.

            "This can't be good!" Betamon X exclaimed.

            "We've got to get the others here, right now!" Mimi shouted.

            "Hurry!" Michael shouted, "We're running out of time!"

111

            After calling Taichi and Yamato, the group of X-Chosen, the Digitalatri, and the remaining Daughters of the First gathered in atop a building littering the outskirts of the park. Taichi had borrowed Michael's binoculars and was now staring directly at the congregated Infected Chosen. "They're all there," he said.

            "What are they doing?" Miayag asked.

            "Praying or something," he frowned, gripping the sides of the seeing devices tightly.

            "Are we just going to keep letting them do that?" Yamato asked.

            Taichi hesitated. "The thing is…I don't know _what_ they're doing…"

            "What are you talking about?" Mimi gasped, "They're going to summon GranDracmon!"

            "She's right," Yamato said, "We've got to stop them before he gets here!"

            "How?" he asked.

            "I suggest we move quickly and attack before they have a chance to defend themselves," Miayag said.

            "What about those Digitamas we got?" Takashi's Tsukaimon asked, eying the object that was resting within a small backpack on Keiko's back. Sora had her Digitama within a pouch attached to her waist, and Noriko's was attached around her shoulder like a purse.

            Taichi frowned.

            "What's wrong?" Agumon X asked.

            "I don't know," he said, "Just…this feeling…"

            Miayag's Plotmon stared at the sky. "Maybe it has something to do with that!"

            The collection twisted their heads and saw to their horror that spider-webs of light were slowly began to weave across the night sky, collecting together into globs of energy in various areas.

            "What the hell is that?" Keiko gasped.

            "Reality is being torn asunder," Miayag answered, "A great presence is attempting to cross into this world."

            "GranDracmon!" Sora shouted.

            Agumon X twisted to his partner. "Taichi!"

            The young man quickly nodded. "Right, we need to take out the Four Horsemen, then we'll worry about the Infected Chosen."

            The others agreed. Their partners quickly evolved to their highest levels, Agumon X, Gabumon X and Miayag's Plotmon evolved to their Fully Evolved forms: Metalgreymon X, Weregarurumon X and Bastemon, rather then their Mega forms, hoping to save their energy in case GranDracmon should arrive.

            The combined Chosen charged at the Infected Chosen, their sights set on the Four Horsemen. Kirahi pointed her hands at them. "They seek to stop us from calling the almighty here, my Chosen, you must stop them!"

The digimon cursed with the Second Black Death began to attack, however, due to that same cures, they were not able to evolve past the level they were currently occupying. The Fully Evolved digimon easily smashed their way through the army-it was similar to a group of infantry men charging a tank.

            If Kirahi had any feelings for the Infected Chosen, she did not show it. However, once she realized that her soldiers were falling like dominos, she turned to her fellow Horsemen. "Oiri, Matut, Asm, destroy them before they interfere with the master's arrival."

            Matut, the evil double of Tatum, smirked, "Our pleasure." The four demons, along with their digimon partners, leapt into the battle.

            Kirahi turned towards the glowing spider-webs in the sky. "I will continue to monitor and guide the almighty lord here."

            Taichi held tightly to Metalgreymon X as the dinosaur trampled over a group of Gotsumon. An Aquilamon came flying towards his side, but the dinosaur flung his metal arm around, knocking the bird into a tailspin.

            "That's was close," Taichi muttered.

            A Sabirdramon dove from behind, in Metalgreymon X's blind spot, neither the dinosaur nor Taichi were able to see. The black bird opened her feet to reveal her sharp claws, aiming for Taichi's back…

            "Shadow Wing!"

            Taichi twisted around in time to watch as Garudamon's attack struck the black bird, sending her smashing into the ground. The young man smiled slightly at the redheaded woman on Garudamon's back. "Thanks Sora."

            "No problem," she said, "I've got the feeling I'm going to be watching your back for the rest of my life."

            He frowned. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

            She gave a devilish smile. Before Taichi could shout a reply, he watched with horror as a giant, winged monstrosity fired a blast of dark energy at the redhead and her winged partner, throwing her into a tailspin.

            "Sora!" Taichi shouted, watching as Oiri, the Horseman of Famine and his Galfmon partner charged after the fallen Sora and Garudamon. He ordered Metalgreymon X to run to their aid, but the dinosaur screeched to a stop when a massive digimon appeared before them, a towering monster that both human and digimon instantly recognized.

            "Venom Myotismon!"

            A figure seated upon the digimon's shoulder began to chuckle. "And let's not forget Asm, the Horseman of Pestilence."

            Taichi growled as he thought of Sora. "Get out of my way right now!"

            Venom Myotismon smirked. "Sorry, ain't gonna happen."

            Taichi gripped Metalgreymon X's leather skin. He glanced around the massive demon and saw that the other Daughters of the First were rushing to aid Sora. With her safe, he turned his attention back to Asm. "All right, fine. You wanna fight, you're gonna get it. Metalgreymon, attack!"

            The large dinosaur pointed his metal arm at the towering demon and fired. "Trident Arm Version 9.9!"  His metal claw shot from his arm and struck Venom Myotismon in the chest. The demon grinned and whipped his arms around, grabbing hold of the metal cable. Gripping it tightly, he yanked to the right, throwing them both to the ground. The towering demon charged over, lifting his foot, intending to smash it down on the dinosaur's head. However, seconds before he would have committed his act, he was thrown off balance as a barrage of rockets impacted his side. He stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance.

            Asm growled, and twisted his head around to search out his attacker. He found Metalgarurumon X hovering in the air above him, while Miayag and her Plotmon were standing at his feet.

            "Yamato?" Taichi asked, "Miayag?"

            "Hurry and get up!" Metalgarurumon X shouted, "I'm not saving your ass all day here!"

            Miayag twirled the Staff of Yuushi before her, "Yes, _Juukeitei_, let us banish this creature of darkness as one!"

            Taichi chuckled. He grasped the Sword of Hidokoro, and turned to his partner, who had regressed to Agumon X in preparation. "Ready?"

            The small dinosaur nodded. "You bet."

            Taichi grinned as the sword began to glow brightly, enveloping them both. "Agumon X warp evolve to Wargreymon X!"

            Miayag and her partner watched in surprise as both Taichi and Agumon X were joined together. Plotmon turned to the priestess. "They fused together? Why can't we?"

            Miayag glanced down at her weapon. "I wonder if that power does not radiate within the Staff as well…"

            She held it forward, where it began to glow, the same event that occurred before Plotmon would evolve to her Mega form. This time, however, Miayag focused on her partner, striving to use the connection that she knew Yamato and Taichi shared with their partners. To her surprise, the Staff of Yuushi soon exploded in gold light, covering both her and Plotmon. She felt their bodies twist and merge, fusing together into one.

            "Plotmon evolve to Kuzuhamon!"

            Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X glanced over at the fox woman. "You two fused together too?" the metal wolf asked.

            "Yes," Kuzuhamon answered, "I do not understand why I was not able to do so before…"

            Wargreymon snorted. "Probably because you got rid of all that crap that GranDracmon filled you with…"

            Before she could utter a response, Venom Myotismon roared and threw his arms into the air. "Excuse me!" Asm shouted.

            "Sorry," Wargreymon X answered, "I guess we just forgot about you…"

            "Forgot?!" the Horseman shouted, "How dare you forget me! Venom Myotismon…"

            Before he could order his attack, Wargreymon X shot forward and struck the demon digimon in the face. He was soon aided by Kuzuhamon and Metalgarurumon X, who pounded the vampire creature with energy attacks. Venom Myotismon quickly recovered and swung his arms around, knocking all three to the ground. They quickly recovered and leapt back to attack.

111

            After Garudamon had been struck by Galfmon, Sora had been thrown off of the giant bird and onto the ground. Her crutches were useless on Garudamon's back, so she was not even able to stand. Garudamon was going to reach down and help her partner, but stopped when she saw Galfmon rushing towards them. The evil demon opened the mouth on his torso to fire another blast of dark energy, and the massive bird leapt in front of her partner to protect her from any harm.

            Galfmon opened his mouth wide, a spew of dark energy crackling around the opening. "Black…"

            "Darkness Wave!"

            The demon closed his mouth as an army of bats began to swarm around him. On his back, Oiri growled.

            Down below, Sora glanced to the sky and said a devil woman hovering before Galfmon. "Ladydevimon? Noriko!"

            "Right here!"

            The redhead turned to her side and saw the brown-haired woman kneeing to the ground. "Hang on," Noriko smiled, wrapping her arm around Sora's shoulder, "We'll give you a hand."

            "We?" she asked. She then felt another arm on her other side. She turned and saw Lynna lifting as well. Within seconds, the Daughter of Fire was being supported by the Daughters of Darkness and Water.

            "Don't worry, " the Australian woman grinned, "That poor excuse for a horse ain't bettin' us! Right, Waruseadramon?"

            Her Fully Evolved partner erupted from the grown, firing chunks of ice from his mouth. "Evil Icicle!"

            Galfmon easily batted the chunks aside, but he was then struck in the rear by a blast of hot energy. He twisted around and saw Hippo Gryphomon soar by, with Anna and Maria on his back. Oiri wondered where Maria's partner was, but was answered when Insekimon dropped from the sky, kicking Galfmon in the face before twisting around and landing on Garudamon's back. Hippo Gryphomon landed on the ground, and Anna climbed off of her partner, Maria resting on her back.

            Galfmon was about to attack again, when Blossomon began to throw sharp flowers from her vines, striking the demon across his body. Catherine grinned as she pointed at him. "Take that, _vous demon!"_

            Oiri stared down at them. "So, all the Daughters are here…" He grinned slightly, "Those of you that are left, that is…"

            "You bastard," Sora glared.

            "Enough flattery," he chuckled, "Galfmon, finish them!"

            His digimon roared with energy, opening his lower mouth once again. Garudamon shot forward and swung her first into his side. However, he pulled back at the last moment and she missed the target. Galfmon opened his mouth and chomped down on her arm.

            "Garudamon!" Sora shouted.

            The giant bird struggled to get free. "Ladydevimon!" Noriko shouted, "Help her!"

            "Kick his ass, Waruseadramon!" Lynna shouted.

            The devil woman held out her hand, which transformed into a sharp bladed point. "Darkness Spear!" She shot around to Galfmon's underside and jabbed her blade deep into his flesh. He winced in pain, but held tight to his grip on Garudamon's hand.

            Waruseadramon whipped around from beneath, pouring out a stream of icicles that impacted against the human torso portion, hoping to distract him enough to weaken his grip on the giant bird's arm. He continued to press on Garudamon's arm, causing her to cry out in pain.

            "Garudamon!" Sora screamed.

            Ladydevimon watched with anger as Galfmon continued to injure her friend. She once again transformed her arm into her Darkness Spear and slammed it deep into the side of the lower jaw. This time, Galfmon was forced to release Garudamon. The giant bird quickly pulled her hand back, but before the Daughters could plan an attack, Galfmon let loose with a scream that erupted from deep within. "Dead Scream!"

            The digimon partners of the Daughters were thrown by the shockwave, twisting and spinning into the ground. Blossomon and Hippo Gryphomon were the first to recover and shot back into the sky to continue the attack. Hippo Gryphomon opened his mouth and spewed out blasts of hot air. "Heat Wave!"

            Galfmon was struck on the side of his elongated body, but only grimaced slightly. He whipped his hand around and managed to grab hold of the Wind Guardians back. He spun him around in the air before throwing him into the ground.

            Oiri roared with laughter. "This is far too easy! Come on, give us a fight!"

            Catherine trembled with angry and hate. "That…that…." She twisted to her partner, "Blossomon, tear him apart!"

            The mouthed flowers on the tips of Blossomon's vines began to fire out quick burst of yellow power that began to envelop the giant demon. He chuckled. "That Polinosis Shower technique of yours won't work on me!" Galfmon shouted. The mouth on his torso opened wide as black energy began to gather within the void. "Black Requiem!"

            Blossomon braced herself for the impact, but instead, she was surprised as her body suddenly became as hard as granite and Galfmon's attack had no affect, the blackness simply flowed around her.

            The Horseman of Famine was shocked, until he recalled the same technique when he fought the Daughters on the Seraphimoon. He twisted around and glared down at Insekimon, who was pointing his hands at Blossomon. "You!"

            Maria grinned. "Insekimon's Guard Rock attack won't let you hurt any of our friends!"

            Oiri chuckled. "Then we'll just have to get rid of you!"

            Galfmon attacked with another blast of his Dead Scream, throwing the Daughters and their partners into a maelstrom of energy. Insekimon smashed into one of the trees that were littering the park. The massive demon scanned the group until he found Maria, lying helpless on the ground. She was not even able to run, as her legs had long since vanished. She tried to crawl away, but it was not any use, Galfmon's Black Requiem easily struck her from behind, covering her body in dark energy.

            "Maria!" Sora screamed.

            Insekimon charged towards his partner, but much like other Chosen digimon, he too vanished when his partner passed. All of the Daughters were staring eagerly as the black flames from Galfmon's attack dissipated; what they saw of Maria…or rather, what was left of Maria lying in the park grass, caused them all to scream with rage.

            "Waruseadramon!" Lynna screamed, "I don' care how ya do it, but kill him! Kill 'em both!"

            Oiri grinned wickedly as Galfmon prepared to attack, but before any further hostilites could commence, the sky exploded with light.

111

            Jyou, Dingo, Mimi, Michael and Hikari heard the screams of the Daughters of the First, but they were not able to rush to their aide, as the Infected Chosen had taken to attacking them. Their digimon partners battled furiously against the suffocation of their enemies. They wished to aid their friends against the Horsemen, but they simply could not.

The four remaining members of the Digitalatri did heard the screams of the Daughters of the First as well. "What happened over there?" Takashi asked.

            "I think someone else just died," Keiko said.

            "Another one?" James asked, "Will this end?"

            "Yes, it will, but not before your deaths!"

            The members twisted their heads to the source of the sinister, yet familiar, voice. Hovering above them was the evil double of Tatum, riding upon her Zanbamon.

            "Matut," Hiroshi sneered, "The Horsemen of War."

            She chuckled. "Ah, I see that you remember me…"

            "How could we ever forget your stench?" Keiko asked, "How dare you take the form of Tatum!"

            "I am Tatum," she responded, "Just her true side, liberated, freed from the limits placed upon her by Mimi and Miayag. Now, face the true Tatum!"

            Hiroshi's Blue Meramon, Keiko's Garbamon, Takashi's Metal Tyranomon, and James's Megaseadramon quickly encircled Zanbamon. The demon chuckled, "Well, come and get me."

            Garbamon yelled as he flew towards him, pointing his bazooka forward. "Take this, Poop Bazooka!"

            Zanbamon whipped out his sword and began to fire a barrage of bullets. "Cross Slash!"

            Garbamon swung his giant gun around, blocking the small projectiles  Megaseadramon snaked around from behind, intending to blast Zanbamon in the back, however, the demon twisted around quickly, slashing the serpent in the face. "Prison Gate of Beheading!"

            "Megaseadramon!" James shouted, watching as his partner's head whipped backwards. After he recovered, all could see that the serpent now had a massive gash atop his long snout.

            "You shouldn't have messed with your betters," the demon laughed.

            Megaseadramon smirked. "Or maybe it's just a diversion."

            Matut raised in eyebrows in confusion until both she and Zanbamon spun around. They were just in time to watch as Hiroshi's Blue Meramon threw a ball of blue flame into his face. Before the demon could reach for his sword, Takashi's Metal Tyranomon trapped Zanbamon within his large hands.

            "Yes!" Takashi shouted.

            Blue Meramon floated towards the metallic dinosaur. "Can you hold him?"

            "Don't worry," he chuckled, "I've got…" His hands suddenly blew apart as Zanbamon exploded with energy.

            "I think you got him pissed," Keiko muttered.

            Matat held to her partner's back as he pointed his sword at Metal Tyranomon's hand. "Cross Slash!"

            Despite his massive size, the metallic digimon slid backwards under the force of Zanbamon's attack. Garbamon began to assail Zanbamon with streams of shit from his bazooka, while Megaseadramon blasted his Thunder Javelin. Both attacks struck Matut and her partner, covering them with excrement and pure energy. Matut roared with anger as she threw the shit from her face.

            "Damn you!" she screamed, "Zanbamon, rip them to shreds!"

            The demon swung his sword in a practiced maneuver. He focused on Blue Meramon, arging forward with his sword. "Prison Gate of Beheading!"

            "Blue Meramon!" Hiroshi shouted, "Get out of the way!"

            His digimon stared down the evil warrior digimon. The blue flames on his body began to grow with intensity, wrapping around his body. The flames soon transformed into ice, granting him a living shield. "Ice Phantom!" he shouted.

            Zabamon swung his sword at Blue Meramon's neck, but due to his ice shield, the demon's attack did not find its mark. Hiroshi's partner swung his ice-covered fist into Zanbamon's face, but the demon whipped his sword around, managing to hack off a portion of Blue Meramon's other arm. The ice digimon flinched back in extreme pain.

            Metal Tyranomon pointed his right hand at Zanbamon and fired a giant missile. "Giga Destroyer II!"

            The demon twisted out of the way and began to fire his Cross Slash technique. Megaseadramon and Garbamon came to his aide, attacking with all of their might. Zanbamon whipped his sword around and fired another round of Cross Slash, striking both digimon, but it was even more painful for the serpent, as the demon fired directly into Megaseadramon's massive injury.

            The four humans began to fill with rage and anger. Hiroshi was about to shout out another possible battle strategy, when, the night sky was suddenly illuminated as if the multitude of stars in the sky went nova…

111

            The three fused human/digimon heard the screams of the Daughters as well, but they could only spare a moment to stare in that direction.

            "Sora?" Wargreymon X asked.

            "Noriko?" Weregarurumon X gasped, "What's going on over there?"

            "We will discover soon enough," Kuzuhamon said, "But we must defeat Venom Myotismon first."

            "Watch out!" Metalgarurumon X shouted, pointing into the air. Venom Myotismon swung his fists, smacking Wargreymon X into a tailspin. Metalgarurumon X leapt to aid, firing his twin-barreled guns at a tremendous pace. The towering demon stumbled backwards, but quickly recovered as well. Kuzuhamon swung her staff behind her head, intending to smack it into Venom Myotismon's face, but the demon bashed his large head into the smaller digimon, twisting her into the ground.

            "Kuzuhamon!" Wargreymon X shouted.

            "Venom Infuse!" the towering demon shouted, spewing out a blast of poison at the two X digimon. They both shot to the side to avoid the attack, but Metalgarurumon X continued to fire his weapons, striking and slashing Venom Myotismon upon his side. He winced.

            "I'll get you for that!" he shouted, "Prepare to die!"

            Before he could form an attack, however, Kuzuhamon leapt back from the ground and mercilessly struck the demon's face repeatedly until he pounded her with his fists. She was forced to shoot back to a safer distance.

            "I'll get him," Wargreymon X said, "But you've got to give me some time to do it."

            "You got it," Metalgarurumon X said.

            "Yes," Kuzuhamon nodded.

            "Plan all you want, it's not going to stop me!" Asm laughed, "GranDracmon will arrive and your world will perish!"

            Wargreymon X smashed to the ground and raised his arms over his head, gathering energy within his palms. Sections of the grass, the trees, the sky, even moisture from the air began to mix with the powerful energy.

            Venom Myotismon glared down at them and redid his fists. Metalgarurumon X danced between the demon's fists and threw his arms open, firing all of his weapons at once. "Garuru Burst!"

            The metal wolf's missiles smashed into the demon's chest, stumbling backwards. He recovered and was about to attack Metalgarurumon X, but Kuzuhamon leapt before him. She twirled her staff before her, sending out a wave of transparent foxes, "Reverse Rice Cord!"

            Asm was nearly thrown from his partner's shoulder from Kuzuhamon's attack. "What are you doing?!" he screamed, "Kill them at once!"

            "Oh yeah, I'm gonna grind them into power with my teeth!" he screamed. He raised his arms in rage.

            Down below, Wargreymon X had been gathering energy and elements for his ultimate attack, and now he was ready. He pulled his arms back and threw the massive ball within his arms as hard as he could. "Gaia Force Zero!"

            The Horseman and his demon partner became aware of the mega dinosaur at the same moment. They did not have time to even scream as Wargreymon X's attack ripped across Venom Myotismon's torso, annihilating not only the demon digimon, but the Horseman of Pestilence as well.

            "Well done," Kuzuhamon said.

            "Yeah, great," Metalgarurumon X said, "Now, why don't we try to stop GranDracmon from getting here?"

            Wargreymon X narrowed his eyes as he spied Kirahi standing in the center of the chaos, her arms raised to the sky. "Yeah, this is our last chance! Let's move!"

            The trio of Mega digimon were about to soar forward, but stopped in their tracks as they saw a horrendous sight: the small webs of energy suddenly and mysteriously gathered together above the Horseman of Death. The webs exploded, illuminating the night sky. The trio could only stare as a massive figure soon appeared above Kirahi.

            "Yes!" the Horseman shouted, "My lord, you have arrived!"

            GranDracmon grinned as he surveyed the surrounding area. "Yes, my faithful servant, I hath arrived…"

111

_            My name is Chihi Miayag, and I have failed. GranDracmon, the demon that I have inadvertently empowered, has arrived on this world. I am powerless to stop his rampage. Armageddon commences in mere moments, and if God truly exists, I pray that He is merciful upon my soul, for I fear that I go to meet Him soon…._


	27. Armageddon: Chapter 2

_            My name is Yamato Ishida, and to put it quite frankly, this is the end of the world. We tried to stop the Four Horsemen from summoning GranDracmon, but we failed. Me, Miayag and Taichi fought Asm, the Horseman of Pestilence, and killed him. The Daughters of the First fought against Oiri, but that Horseman of Famine killed Maria. We tried to stop Kirahi from summoning GranDracmon, but it wasn't any use. He's here!"_

_Digimon Apocalypse_

_The Book of Armageddon:_

_Chapter 2_

Wargreymon X, Metalgarurumon X and Kuzuhamon flew over the carnage of the battle between the X-Chosen, the Daughters of the First, the remaining members of the Digitalatri, and the Infected Chosen. The trio shot over the war, and Wargreymon X's eyes drifted to the sight of Nefertimon X battling a group of Infected Digimon. "Should we help them?" Kuzuhamon asked.

            "No," he responded, "We have to stop Kirahi, if GranDracmon gets here, this whole world's going to shit!"

            Weregarurumon X gasped and pointed to the sky. "I think it already is!"

            The small webs of energy, which had been snaking across the sky, suddenly and mysteriously gathered together above the Horseman of Death. The webs exploded, illuminating the night sky.

The trio was forced to shield their eyes as the nova grew in intensity. The eyes on all combatants had to shield as well, that is until the light faded. Now, all beings assembled, both human and digimon, both Infected and non-Infected, stared with horror at the terrifying creature towering over Kirahi.

"Yes!" the Horseman shouted, "My lord, you have arrived!"

            GranDracmon grinned as he surveyed the surrounding area. "Yes, my faithful servant, I hath arrived…"

            A deep silence spread across the battlefield, that is, until Dingo shouted out to the Infected Chosen. "Ya see! Ya see, _that's_ the great and powerful god that's gonna save ya! Ya've been tricked!"

            "No!" the boy missing his arm and with an Armadimon as a partner shouted, running forward, "No, this cannot be! Where is the mighty and powerful Digital God, the one that's supposed to save us?"

            GranDracmon turned to him. "You have been mislead, I am afraid, for you see, I am the God of the Digital World."

            "He speaks the truth," Kuzuhamon said, descending to stand before the Infected Chosen, "He is the foul and evil beast that has deceived us all."

            "How do you know?" a girl missing her right foot shouted.

            Kuzuhamon glowed brightly for a moment before reverting to her two primary forms: Miayag and Plotmon. The boy with the missing arm gasped. "P…Priestess…"

            "Yes," she responded, "I know of GranDracmon's treachery, because I have been the unwilling victim of it for two years! He has used me for the sole purpose of gathering you together, why? So that he may use your energy to bring himself here. Yes, I am sorry to say, it is we that have brought this demon to Earth!" She swung the Staff of Yuushi before her, "Now, we must band together, and defeat this devil before all of humanity faces his power!"

            GranDracmon began to laugh, his deep voice echoing across the park, "Fight all you want, it will not save you, humanity will vanish in a sea of blood, and I will be what remains. I will stand upon the ashes of the Earth, and from it, I will build a new world order: a world of human and digimon hybrids, an army of unstoppable might!"

            "And then what?" Jyou shouted, "What are you going to do then? Huh? In case you didn't notice, in your grand plan, your enemies are all dead! Who are you gonna conquer then?!"

            "Jyou…" Hikari said, "Be careful, I can feel his evil…its…overpowering…"

            GranDracmon smiled a twisted smile, "Do you think that Earth and the Digital World are the only dimensions in existence? Your view is truly limited."

            "I've had enough of this!" Wargreymon X screamed, "You think you're so fucking important with your fucking big impressive words, well you know what? You're nothing! Nothing but a fucking jack-ass who thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants! I am fucking sick of it!"

            He shot into the sky, flying directly towards GranDracmon. He ignored Sora's screams of caution, and continued forward. Metalgarurumon X growled. "That idiot's going to get himself killed!" He shot into the air as well, following closely behind his fellow warrior.

Wargreymon X placed both of his arms above his head and began to twirl at such an incredible rate that a tornado of force appeared around him. "Great Tornado!"

            Metalgarurumon X fired a large projectile from the missile carrier within his chest. "Garuru Tomahawk!"

            GranDracmon only smirked as he watched the two attacks head towards him. He raised his hand and a force wave of energy exploded forth, striking Wargreymon X, halting his Great Tornado and throwing him into Metalgarurumon X. The metallic wolf's missile had been deflected by the demon's attack as well, and it twisted about and struck the two mega digimon, throwing them into the center of the Infected Chosen.

            "Aw, that is it!" Dingo shouted, raising his arm into the air, "Let's go!" He and Gesomon X charged forward, and they were soon joined by the multitude of other Chosen; even Hikari, Jyou, Mimi and Michael became caught in the charge. Only Miayag, and the Digitalatri remained in place. The Priestess was furiously attempting to call the others back, claiming that they needed a battle strategy to overcome one so powerful. The remaining Daughters of the First had been fighting Oiri near the rear of the battleground, and they were slow to catch up, and when Sora and Noriko passed Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X, they did not want to go any father.

            GranDracmon stared down at the hundreds of Chosen and digimon charging towards him. He chuckled. "You still do not yet understand, do you? Then I believe I will have to show you the error of your judgments! Take my Crystal Revolution!"

            He raised his arms above his head, and a sphere of white light began to form within his palms. The light continued to grow in intensity, until the demon threw his arms open, and the light transformed into a wave that engulfed the Chosen. As the humans and digimon were struck, they felt the energy adhere to their bodies, transforming their skin into hard, sparkling material. Each Chosen and digimon that were struck by GranDracmon's attack had been transformed into crystal statues.

            Miayag, Hiroshi, Keiko and the Daughters of the First stared with horror at their morphing comrades. They only had moments to do so, as the wave of GranDracmon's attack continued forward. Miayag held up her left arm in a feeble attempt to shield herself, but as she felt the rays of the strange light strike her arm, she was suddenly hoisted into the sky by Wargreymon X, as he and Metalgarurumon X grabbed the remaining survivors and flew to safety. Now out of the energy wave's reach, they watched as it continued through the park, transforming everything, animals, trees, grass, into glass sculptures.

            GranDracmon roared with laughter. "Well, it is finally quiet, those blasted humans make far too much noise." He glanced at his three remaining Horsemen, "Come, let us see how well this city of Tokyo will fare against my coming!"

            The group of evil floated into the sky and disappeared into the night clouds. With their adversaries gone, at least for the moment, Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X descended to the center of the glass statue park. The two mega digimon, their energies exhausted, reverted to their primary forms.

            An eerie and ghostly silenced filled the air. Anna placed a hand on her partner's shoulder, "Is it as bad as I think it is?"

            Penmon nodded. "Yes, for once, be glad that you cannot see it…"

            Taichi stared at the statue of his sister, still frozen in the expression of fear that she wore when the wave struck her. "Hikari…" He reached out and gently touched her face.

            Agumon X was staring at Nefertimon X, who had been frozen while attempting to run to her partner's side. He turned to Taichi, who was now clenching his fist in rage.

            "This is terrible," Noriko said, staring at the silent, lifeless statues, I…I'm so fucking sad that I…that I can't even cry…"

            Lynna had found her way to Dingo's statue. He was in the pose of running forward, his arms raised above his head. "Ya stupid ass," she said, shaking her head, "Why do ya have ta run into things like that? If ya just listen ta Miayag, then maybe…"

            The Priestess of the Digitalatri, upon hearing her name, turned her head to the Australian woman, only to find her crying slightly. She turned away, her head hanging low, as she did, she noticed her left arm.

            "Wait!" she cried, "Wait, there may not be any need to despair!"

            "What?" Yamato asked.

            "Yeah, what are you talking about?" Noriko's Plotmon asked.

            Her face appeared to struggle between joy and caution. "When GranDracmon performed his technique, I had lifted my left hand in an attempt to shield myself…"

            "Yeah, so?" Sora asked.

            The Priestess held up her forearm, which was completely covered in the same crystal material as the others. "Your arm…" Miayag's Plotmon said, "I…I didn't realize…"

            "Yes," she nodded, "And I am able to move my fingers slightly…" She demonstrated by slowly moving her index finger. The strain was clearly visible on her face, yet the digit could only slightly wiggle.

            "So what does zat tell you?" Catherine demanded.

            Miayag smiled. "I believe that our comrades may yet live."

            "They're still alive?" Lynna gasped, staring at Dingo's statue.

            "I believe so, yes."

            "Then how do we free them?"

            She thought for a moment. "If we were to defeat GranDracmon, then perhaps…"

            Taichi stared at her. "You're not sure?"

            She shook her head, "Sadly, I am not."

            "It's still the best we've got," Gabumon X added.

            "But where will we find GranDracmon?" Piyomon asked.

            Miayag frowned. "I fear it will be far too easy to locate them."

            "That's right," Keiko said, "Because GranDracmon said he was going into the city!"

            Taichi glanced over his shoulder to the see the lights of Tokyo shining into the night. "All right, we've got to hurry. We'll split up to cover more ground: the Daughters in one group, the Digitalatri in another, and me, Yamato and Miayag'll be in the third. Keep in touch, and if anyone finds GranDracmon, wait until the others arrive; there's no sense in getting annihilated by trying to fight that ass by yourself."

            The others nodded and began to disperse. Sora, who had been leaning on Noriko's shoulder to compensate for the loss of her crutches, called out to Taichi. "There's something you need to know…"

            He stared at her face and saw the sadness in her eyes. He twisted around quickly. Sora continued, "Maria didn't get turned into a statue, she's…"

            Taichi's shoulder began to shake, but stopped shortly. "No…don't…not now….I….I can't right now, okay?'

            The redhead nodded. "Sure, Taichi…sure…"

            Noriko mentioned to Lynna and Anna, who were both climbing onto Unimon. "Birdramon can give us a ride, right, since Black Tailmon's just a little too small for us, well, maybe for you and Catherine…."

            Sora did not respond.

            "Sorry," Noriko said, "I…I was just trying to make a joke and…"

            "I know," the redhead said, "But…Yuri, Keeya, Iduia, and now Maria…." Tears began to form in her eyes.

            Noriko hugged her friend. "I know, I miss her already too…"

            Sora sniffled. "Yeah…but…she was like a little sister to me…" She turned to Taichi, who was talking to Yamato and Miayag, "And now I'm worried about Taichi, I know that Maria meant more to him then he lets on, if he's holding that pain inside right now, and everything with his mother and now Hikari…"

            "Hikari'll be fine," Noriko said with a slight smile, "And so will Jyou, and Mimi and Michael and Dingo and all of the rest…"

            "But how can you be so sure?"

            "Because," she frowned, "I don't want to think about what it means if I'm wrong."

111

            The city of Tokyo was not aware of the events that had just transpired within their city park, the citizens continued on their daily lives, they had no reason not too. A group of teenage girls were walking down the sidewalk on a less-then-used street. The crowd on the sidewalk was non-existent until they arrived at a popular dance club, at that point, the sidewalk became completely congested, filled to the brim with similar young adults, waiting in a line to gain entry to the club, which seemed to loom before them like a prized castle.

            As the group waited, they noticed a young woman had entered the line behind them; she had short brown hair and was dressed in a cloak of dirty pink color. One of the girls turned to her and smiled. "Hey, you waiting to get into the club too, huh?"

            The young woman nodded. "Yes."

            Another girl asked, "Have you ever been here before?"

            She shook her head, "No."

            The first girl frowned. "Yeah, we tried to get in here three times before, but we weren't able to, I hope we get a chance this time."

            She nodded. "Yes, I hope so too…"

            "My name's Sumiko," the first girl said.

            "I am Kirahi," the young woman said.

            A third girl stared at her and blinked. "Hey, aren't you hot?"

            "Hot?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, you're wearing that cloak, I'm dressed in this miniskirt and tube top and I'm still sweating." She smiled, "Or are you wearing anything under there?"

            The young woman chuckled. She threw open her cloak, revealing that she had been wearing a simple pink dress, however, their eyes shot to the sharp object that was in her hand.

            The first girl felt her spine turn cold. "Is that a kni…"Before she could finish her thought, the young woman charged forward and jabbed the blade into the first girl's neck; she fell to the ground covered in blood.

            The waiting crowd began to scream and started to run as fast as they could. Kirahi was able to slash two more girls before they crowd moved out of her reach. "Deathmon!" she shouted.

            The crowd turned their attention to the sky and saw a demonic creature illuminated against the stars. He opened his hands, which revealed two glowing eyeballs. These misplaced-orbs began to fire arrows of red energy that assaulted the group, easily decimating them, Kirahi finished the massacre herself, ending the lives of the first girl from the group.

            "Why?" she asked.

            Kirahi grinned. "Because, my lord needs a ceremony before he assumes control of this plane of existence, rejoice, for you are but the first to fall in the blood that will soon cover this world!"

111

            A series of screams and explosions caught the Chosen's attention as they flew over the city. "Looks like they already started…" Lynna muttered.

            An explosion of black energy erupted like a geyser from the left. "That's Galfmon's attack," Birdramon said.

            "I hear shots being fired directly ahead of us," Anna said.

            "Matut," Takashi gasped.

            "We want Oiri," Sora said.

            "Matut is ours," Hiroshi added.

            Taichi turned to Yamato and Miayag, "Then Kirahi's ours."

            The five remaining Daughters of the First flew to confront the Horseman of Famine, while the four Digitalatri journeyed to the Horseman of War. Taichi, Yamato and Miayag then began their search for Kirahi.

            The Daughters had discovered Oiri with surprising ease. His Galfmon partner was so massive he could be spotted from miles away. The Horseman was seated on his partner's back as he trotted through the city streets, screaming a high-pitched howl that was so deafening that the humans running from the demons were screaming in pain; their eardrums had either burst or the sensitive tissue within their heads had ruptured, resulting in their deaths.

            Catherine had to hold her hand over her mouth as she stared at the sea of bodies below them. "I…I cannot believe such…such death!"

            Sora narrowed her eyes. "Just more lives for him to answer for," she clenched her fists tightly, "Keeya, Maria…he's gonna pay for it, I swear, I'll _make_ him pay for it!"

            "Easy," Noriko said, "We're all here, remember?"

            "Yeah…yeah…"

            "What should we do?" Anna asked.

            "Get him from behind," Sora said, "We'll have the advantage."

            "Maybe…" Noriko muttered.

            Birdramon and Unimon flew to attack Galfmon in the rear, but the Demon Beast quickly spun around, firing a blast of dark energy from the mouth on his torso. Unimon and Birdramon quickly shot out of the way; their passengers quickly held tighter and were saved from being thrown to the ground.

            Oiri grinned. "You thought that was going to work? You all make so much noise, you'd wake the dead! Hey, why don't we see if we can wake up Maria?"

            "Ya bastard! That's it!" Lynna screamed. She and Penmon leapt from Unimon's back.

            "Lynna!" Anna shouted.

            The Australian woman held out her digivice. Her partner began to glow and he evolved to his Fully Evolved level of Waruseadramon, firing out a wave of icicles from his mouth, which struck the back of Galfmon, but to no damage at all.

            "That idiot!" Noriko exclaimed. She turned to her own partner, "Ready, Black Tailmon?"

            The chocolate-colored digimon nodded. "Ready."

            Catherine was riding atop Birdramon with Sora and Noriko, and ordered her partner into battle as well. Black Tailmon evolved to Ladydevimon and Floramon evolved to the Fully Evolved Blossomon. Both digimon fired their energy-based attacks, but once again, Galfmon was unharmed. He swung his arms around and grabbed both digimon and smashed them into one another.

            "They need Garudamon," Birdramon said.

            Sora nodded. "All right, everyone off!"

            The giant bird dropped to the ground so Sora, Noriko and Catherine could leap to the ground. Unimon descended and Anna soon joined them. Birdramon then evolved to Garudamon, and Unimon to Hippo Gryphomon.

            Oiri chuckled as he crossed his arms, staring at the five Fully Evolved digimon standing before him. "You think this makes us even? Ha! Galfmon, show them!"

            His demonic digimon took a deep breath and ushered forth a deafening sound wave that shattered windows and bowed in the building walls. The Daughters had to hold their hands over their ears to protect them, but the force of the attack was more then enough to throw them backwards, tumbling into a ball. Their digimon partners were thrown back as well, but were able to reposition themselves to attack.

            Ladydevimon quickly swung her hands apart, sending out a wave of bats that swarmed around Oiri and Galfmon, blocking their vision. Waruseadramon and Blossomon began to attack his head with a mixture of Evil Icicle and Spiral Flower; without his vision, the Chosen Digimon thought they would have an easy target, however, they were wrong. Galfmon's Black Requiem tore through Ladydevimon's bats and struck Waruseadramon and Blossomon with such force that they were thrown into one of the buildings surrounding the battlefield.

            It was only a diversion, however, as Hippo Gryphomon came around from behind, aiming for Oiri. Galfmon suddenly spun around and grabbed the digimon by the next. "Do you think we're stupid?!" Oiri shouted. His partner threw the Wind Guardian into the pavement.

            "Hippo Gryphomon!" Anna shouted, squeezing into Lynna's shoulder, "Is he okay?"

            The Australian woman hesitated. "Well, he's looked better…"

            Garudamon dove from the sky and screamed, "Eagle Talon!"  At the last moment, she twisted her body around, striking Galfmon's face with her talons, ending with a quick upper slash to his chin. Before she could even recover after her combo, Galfmon grabbed her leg and swung her around, slamming his other fist into her face. He punched her once again and threw her into a building at his side.

            Waruseadramon leapt up from the ground and opened his mouth at Galfmon's head, ready to fire his Evil Icicle, but Galfmon fired his Dead Scream, throwing him into a tangle with Ladydevimon, who had swooped down from the sky to attack his underside. Blossomon managed to avoid the tangled-ball and charged forward. She swung her vines into position and began to fire her Spiral Flower technique.

            "_Magnifique!_" Catherine shouted, "He iz not zo tough! Kill him!"

            Oiri glared at the French woman. "Galfmon," he said, "I grow tired of this, take care of her first."

            The demon grinned and grabbed Blossomon around her neck, easily lifting her into the air.

            "Blossomon!" Catherine shouted.

            Her partner continued to fire blast of light from her flower-tipped vines, but to no avail, the demon simply ignored the pain. "Finish her now!" Oiri ordered.

            Before the other digimon could come to her rescue, Galfmon threw Blossomon into the ground, directly before his second mouth. His Black Requiem hit Blossomon at full force, incinerating her.

            "Blossomon!" Catherine shouted, running forward.

            "Catherine!" Sora shouted, "Get back here!"

            The French woman did not hear her, she continued forward until she was standing before Galfmon.

            "_Vous meurtrier!_" she screamed, tears pouring down her eyes, "I…I…"

            Oiri sighed. "Just get rid of her before she says something really stupid."

            The demon chuckled. His hand suddenly grew like elastic, grabbing Catherine, her body easily disappearing in his hand.

            "Catherine!" the Daughters shouted.

            Galfmon lifted Catherine into the air. He maneuvered his thumb so that it was pressing up against Catherine's face, the tip of his digit was easily as large as her head. He gently began to push forward, forcing her head back.

            She twisted her eyes and saw the other Daughters gathering below them. "Sora…_Queen_ Sora, Princess Noriko, Lynna, Anna…I wish you all luck, and I pray zat you will find peace at ze end of this…this war!            _Au revoir  Papa, Momma, Alexandrie soeur, je vous aime, adieu…"_

            Galfmon's thumb fully extended, snapping the French woman's neck. He threw her to the ground, her lifeless body smashing into the pavement. The four remaining Daughters of the First could only stare as another one of their friends had passed to the beyond.

            Galfmon started to laugh. "This gets easier every time."

            Oiri nodded. "Yes, I'd have to agree, first Keeya, then Maria, now Catherine…we've become the exterminators of the Daughters of the First. I wonder who should be next…" He glanced at each young woman until he focused on Anna.

            "Miss Danika," he said, "Myotismon killed your lover, why don't we send you to meet him?"

            The Russian woman tensed, but Lynna leapt in front of her. "If ya want her, ya got ta go through me!"

            Galfmon chuckled and raised his palm. "Small threat…"

            Both Lynna and Anna felt a sudden increase in the intensity of Fire and Darkness. Anna glanced to where she assumed Lynna was standing. "What…what is happening to them?"

            The Australian woman shook her head. "I…I can't describe it ta ya, ya'll just have ta trust me."

            Lynna could find no words for what she saw, red light was pouring from Sora's body while black light was erupting from Noriko's. Both Daughters were shaking with rage. The Digitama of Seraphimon rose from the pouch on Sora's hip and the Digitama of Ophanimon rose from the bag around Noriko's shoulder. They both floated into the sky, resonating with Sora's power and Noriko's power, until they exploded with light, enveloping Anna, Lynna and their partners as well.

            The Digitama of Seraphimon glowed with the red from Sora's Fire and the dark blue from Anna's Wind. Both Daughters were pulled inside the sphere, along with Garudamon and Hippo Gryphomon. Seraphimon's digitama exploded, and a large radiant figure emerged, a bird with four golden wings. "Hououmon!"

            The Digitama of Ophanimon glowed with the black from Noriko's Darkness and the light blue from Lynna's Water. Both Daughters were pulled inside the sphere, along with Ladydevimon and Waruseadramon. Ophanimon's digitama exploded, and a white figure emerged, a dragon with a four large flippers. "Plesiomon!"

            Oiri stared at them, his arms crossed. "So, you evolved, big deal! That doesn't mean a thing!"

            "Shut the fuck up right now!" Plesiomon shouted, "You're about to get back all the shit you've done to us!"

            He rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you think you scare me?"

            "We're going to!" Hououmon shouted.

            Galfmon opened his arms. "Then come and get me!"

            Plesiomon flew forward. "You like to scream out sound as a weapon, huh? Well, how do you like my attack, Sorrow Blue!"

            Plesiomon screamed, a wave of energy erupted from her mouth. This wave slammed into the demon digimon, forcing him to skid backwards, much to his surprise. Before he or his Horseman partner could even react, Hououmon flew in to attack.

The golden bird began to flap her wings, and a blast of fire erupted from her mouth, enveloping Oiri and Galfmon. "Starlight Explosion!"

            Galfmon executed his Black Requiem technique, clearing away Hououmon's flames. However, Pleisomon was waiting. "Take this, you bastard, Water Tail Blaster!" Her tail whipped up from behind and fired a geyser of water with such force that the giant demon nearly lost his footing. 

            Hououmon was ready for Pleisomon's attack and she swooped down, knocking her talons into Galfmon's head, being already off-balanced, he fell onto his side, Oiri crashing into the ground. The Horseman of Famine pounded his fists into Galfmon's side. "Get up! Get up, you fucking bastard! Get up, we're sitting ducks!"

            "Make that cooked ducks!"

            Oiri twisted his head to the sky and saw Plesiomon and Hououmon hovering above them. The Horseman of Famine stared at them with a mixture of horror and fear. "It's payback time!" the giant phoenix shouted, "Starlight Explosion!"

            Pleisomon's tail whipped around and exploded forth with a stream of intense water. Both attacks merged together, completely enveloping Oiri, but ripping a hole through Galfmon. The giant demon's body exploded, his data dispersing into the air. The Horseman of Famine was no where to be seen, he had been completely incinerated.

            Hououmon looked up to the night sky, "Keeya, Iduia, Maria, Catherine, Mushmon, Kokuwamon, Patamon, Floramon…please, rest at peace now…"

            Pleisomon floated next to her. "What now?"

            The Holy Beast turned to the Deep Saver, "GranDracmon."

111

            The four members of the Digitalatri had discovered Matut and Zanbamon right where Anna had said she would be; the demon digimon had been using his Cross Slash technique to slaughter a group of young children who had been leaving summer activities: dance club, singing lessons, tutoring. These pre-teens had not yet even entered secondary education, now they were lying dead in a sea of bodies, chocking the streets.

            "I can't believe this!" Keiko exclaimed, "How…so much death!"

            James frowned. "It's probably what we would have done…if GranDracmon was still manipulating us…"

            "That's enough of that!" Hiroshi ordered, "That is in the past, we must move forward." He glanced at Matut and Zanbamon, "And we'll take _them_ out first!"

            "Yeah!" Takashi shouted, holding tightly to Metal Tyrannomon as he charged forward.

            "Wait!" Hiroshi shouted, "You're too loud!"

It was not any use; the giant metallic dinosaur stomped forward, rattling the ground. Matuat and Zanbamon spun around, and the Horseman of War grinned. "Looks like they sent in the second-stringers, huh?"

            Takashi growled and Metaltyranomon swung his left hand around, firing a beam of red light. Zanbamon quickly brought his sword up to his face; Metaltyranomon's beam splintered into multiple beams, deflecting away from Matut and Zanbamon, but impacting into buildings.

            "Well, that was certainly productive, wasn't it? the demon warrior laughed. He was about to attack the metallic dinosaur, but his eyes noticed Blue Meramon leaping towards him from a nearby building's roof. The Nightmare Soldier pulled his fist back and fired a ball of blue fire. "Ice Fireball!"

            Zanbamon used the flat side of his sword like a bat, deflecting the attack backwards. Blue Meramon quickly leapt to the side, the attack narrowly missing his shoulder. Before the Nightmare Soldier hit the ground, he fired another Ice Fireball, which managed to strike Zanbamon in the nose, spinning him and Matut into a circle. They spun in a 180, and when they stopped, they were staring at Megaseadramon and Garbamon.

            Megaseadramon pulled his head back then shot it forward, his horn firing a bolt of energy. "Thunder Javelin!"

            Garbamon fired from his weapon. "Poop Bazooka!"

            Zanbamon darted out of the way, managing to dodge both attacks. He held up his sword and fired a series of bullets into Garbamon. "Cross Slash!" He shot higher into the air, twisting around and slashing across Megaseadramon's face. "Prison Gate of Beheading!"

            While the two digimon fell to the ground, Metal Tyranomon pointing his right hand at the demon's back. "Giga Destroyer II!"

            Zanbamon swung around quickly, but not quick enough to stop the dinosaur's missile attack. The demon was struck at point black range, throwing him backwards. Matut had to grip to her partner tightly as he was tossed through the air.

            "Nice job!" Takashi shouted.

            Hiroshi turned to the other three digimon. "Go, now!"

            Megaseadramon flicked his head, firing his Thunder Javelin technique, sending waves of electricity across Zanbamon and Matut's bodies. Garbamon then shot up from behind and fired waves of Poop Bazooka into the demon's side. He flinched in pain, but no where near the pain he felt when Bluemeramon, powered by his Ice Phantom technique, bashed and slammed his fists into Zanbamon's face. He then leapt out of the way so Metaltyranomon could strike.

            The dinosaur readied himself for his Giga Destroyer II technique, but before he could, Zanbamon shot forward at surprising speed, jabbing his sword deep into the Cyborg's chest. "Prison Gate of Beheading!"

            Takashi stared in horror as Metaltyranomon stumbled backwards. The demon glanced over his shoulder and saw Megaseadramon sailing towards him. He whipped his sword around and fired a barrage of bullets directly into the serpent's eyes.

            "Megaseadramon!" James shouted, watching as his partner fell to the ground in pain.

            Keiko wanted to console her friend, but when she saw her digimon partner charging towards Zanbamon, she called out to him. "Garbamon! Watch out!"

            Her Mutant digimon positioned his bazooka for another attack, but by now Zanbamon new his attack, and fired a barrage of bullets into the weapon just as Garbamon was about to fire. The weapon overloaded and exploded in his arms.

            "Garbamon!" the young woman screamed.

            Hiroshi stared at the defeated digimon, then turned to his partner. Blue Meramon was standing at his side. "Looks like it's you and me."

            The Nightmare Soldier grinned and nodded. "I'm ready."

            Hiroshi turned back to Matut and Zanbamon, "Just like Taichi and Daisuke said, when you're up against the wall, that's when miracles happen."

            Blue Meramon nodded. He clenched his hand into fists, gave a scream and charged forward. Hiroshi ran after him.

            Keiko suddenly felt an odd sensation on her back. She twisted her head and watched as the Digitama of Cherubimon rose from her backpack and shot into the air. The Digitalatri and the Horseman of War watch in awe and wonder.

            The Digitama of Cerubimon glowed with a reddish light that pulled all four Digitalatri and their partners into the mysterious sphere. Cerubimon's digitama exploded, and a massive figure emerged, one with a large cubed body and half a dozen claws. "Apocalymon!"

            "Apocalymon?" Matut and Zanbamon gasped in unison.

            The Dark Area digimon said nothing, only quickly fired a barrage of projectiles from the front of his cubed body, striking Zanbamon at full force. "Virus Grenade!"

            The Horseman of War was nearly thrown from Zanbamon's back, but she held tight. "Damn it!" she shouted, "Attack!"

            The demon readied his sword, but before he could attack, Apocalymon swung his chained-claws around, smacking him in the underside. He was spun around, but as soon as he stopped, he saw another one of Apocalymon claws pointing directly at him. The claw suddenly morphed into a likeness of Mugen Dramon and fired blasts of energy from his cannons. "Infinity Cannon!"

            Matut and Zanbamon was thrown back again, but another one of Apocalymon's claws, morphed into Metalseadramon, was waiting for him. "Infinity Stream!"

            The Horseman and her demon digimon screamed in pain, but it was not over yet, another claw, this one changed into Pinocchimon. "Bullet Hammer!"

            By this time, Matut and Zanbamon were severely injured, and it was taking everything Zanbamon had to remain floating, but the worst was yet to come. Another claw floated before them. It twisted and morphed like the others, changing into an image of Piedmon. Apocalymon chuckled, "You like playing with swords? Let's see how you do against mine!"

            The Piedmon-transformed-claw whipped his sword out and shoved it deep into Zanbamon's chest and out his back, piercing Matut's chest as well. Both Horseman and demon shuddered for a moment before their data exploded and vanished into the night.

            Apocalymon's claws wound back into his body. The giant digimon turned his attention to the center of the city, where a cloud of black energy was forming. "GranDracmon."

111

            Taichi was riding atop Greymon X, while Yamato was on Garurumon X's back and Miayag held to Witchmon's back while they rode on her floating broom. The blond man called up to his friend. "Any idea how we're going to find GranDracmon or Kirahi?"

            Taichi did not respond, his mind lost in thought and memory…

_Taichi pushed open the door and flipped the switch, illuminating the apartment. "And here we are…the lovely castle Yagami."_

_The girl resting on his back chuckled as she leaned forward so he could bring her inside easier. "Thank you for hospitality."_

_Hikari ran over and turned the air conditioning until to off, then walked into the kitchen. "Uh, Maria, are you hungry?"_

_Taichi placed Maria down on the couch, where she was soon joined by her Patamon. "W…what do you have?"_

_Hikari opened the refrigerator. "Well, we have chicken, pork, fish, leftover pizza…."_

_The Hispanic girl's eyes opened wide and she stared at her partner. "Wow….Patamon, when we were on our own before we went to live in the Digital World, we never had that much food in our refrigerator…"_

_The other girl shrugged. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, some fish would sound good."_

_ "What are you doing?" Maria asked, "Y…you have to cook it?"_

_She nodded. "Yes…oh, did you want sushi? Well, I don't really have the stuff for that…."_

_"No, I…I thought it was leftovers," she explained, "If you have to cook it, then…please do not go to that much trouble…"_

_"Oh, it's no problem at all," she said, "Really…"_

_Taichi reappeared from the hall and approached the Hispanic girl. "Okay, the bath is ready and I got some of Hikari's clothes for you."_

_"Bath?" she asked._

_"Yeah," he said, "No offense, but you really need one."_

_Hikari appeared from the kitchen. "What my brother means is, you are our guest, please, relax and enjoy yourself."_

_Maria smiled warmly. "Thank you."_

_Taichi hoisted her onto his back and carried her into the bathroom. "Um…will you be okay, or should I…?"_

_She blushed. "No, I…I will be okay," she said, "Thank you."_

_"I'll be right outside if you need anything," he said, closing the door…._

111

_"…No, it's….it's okay…" she began, but stopped when Taichi held up his palm._

_"No, it's not okay. I know you have BD-2, but it's not going to help you get any better if your open wounds get infected."_

_"He's right," her Patamon said, landing on her shoulder, "Let him help you."_

_She smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."_

_The young man carried her into the living room, where he placed her on the couch, her leg stumps near the edge. Hikari and the Yagami's digimon were watching the television, so the Latino girl decided to join in while Taichi journeyed to the bathroom to get the medical supplies._

_She was missing almost half of her knees, and everything below them was completely gone. There was only a mesh of red, spongy tissue at the edges. "Well…I'm not Jyou, but I've bandaged up enough injuries to know when something's infected or not."_

_"And?"_

_"I think this looks okay. I mean…not as bad as it could be…." He cleared his throat and began to wound a thin strip of white bandage around her bare legs._

_Maria turned her attention from the television to the brown mop on the top of Taichi's head. She hesitated a moment before speaking up. "Um, Taichi, do you mind if I ask you a question?"_

_"Sure."_

_She hesitated a moment longer before speaking again. "I...like a lot of Chosen I know, really look up to you and have the greatest respect for you, so if this is out of line I'm sorry, but, why did you decide to become a diplomat?"_

_"Instead of a Chosen general?" Taichi asked with a smile. Hikari and Plotmon X began to giggle._

_She blushed. "What…?"_

_He waved his hand. "Never mind. Um, to answer your question, it was really because of the Christmas invasion back in 2002. I knew it was only a matter of time before the Digital World would become common knowledge to Earth, and I wasn't going to let the governments try to take it over. I was going to make sure the Digital World could be protected, and that meant it needed someone to represent it."_

_"Really?" she asked._

_He looked at her. "Why?"_

_"I…um…just heard something different…"_

_"Really? What?"_

_She hesitated again. "Um…."_

_"No, it's all right, tell me…"_

_She hesitated again before spurting quickly, "I heard that after you were modified by the X-Antibody, you didn't care about us anymore."_

_Hikari and the digimon turned to them in silence. Taichi slowly lifted his head to look at Maria, who was blushing feverously. "I…I never believed in it…." She stuttered._

_"Nah, I can see why everyone thought that," he said, "Yeah, after BD-2 hit the Digital World, what could I do about it? I wasn't a doctor..." He turned his head back down to continue bandaging Maria's legs, "Besides, I couldn't say Koushiro or Daisuke…"_

_Hikari frowned. "Oh Oniichan…"_

_Taichi finished his wrapping of Maria's legs and stood up to stretch his back. "All right…"_

_The Latino girl glanced at her leg stubs, which were securely wrapped in white bandages. "           Thank you."_

_"So, time to eat?" Taichi asked._

_Hikari nodded. "Yeah, come on."_

_Taichi hoisted Maria into his arms and carried her into the dinning room. Maria lightly kissed the young man on the cheeks. "Thank you for everything. And I still think you're a hero."_

_Hikari giggled slightly at her brother's embarrassment…._

111

_…Taichi ran through the crowd of Infected Chosen. "Maria!" he shouted, "Maria!" He ran into the damaged gas chamber. "Maria!"_

_"Over here, Taichi…"_

_He strained his eyes and saw the young woman in the corner, crawling towards him. He ran over and lifted her into his arms. Once she was safely in his grasp, he body went nearly limp._

_"I knew you'd save me," she weakly said, her eyes slowly closing…_

_…She hung her head low. "I'm sorry." She looked back up and smiled, "I can try harder if you want…"_

_Taichi returned her smile and placed his hands on her shoulders. "No, that's okay. We'll find them and rescue them…" He sighed deeply, "But first we've got to deal with the Demon Lords…"_

_Maria grinned. "You can do it, Taichi, I know you can."_

_He frowned. "We should bring you back to Earth, but I don't want to take the chance of leaving and having Shiokuro go on a rampage or something like that."_

_The Latino woman shook her head. "I don't want to go back to Earth, I want to stay with you."_

_He smiled slightly. "I know, but as soon as we take care of Shiokuro, you're going back to Earth…."_

_…She nodded. "I…I thought that maybe…if you…" She took a deep breath, "If you didn't want to talk to Hikari, then maybe you could talk to me."_

_Taichi raised an eyebrow. "What?"_

_The young woman began to blush. "If you need to talk about your mother, then why don't you talk to me?"_

_The slightly older man stared at her for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Well, um, I really don't know what to say. I mean, I'm worried about her, but…what else can I really do?" He brought his hands into fists, "I just want to help her so badly, but…once my father gets here, I'm going back to the Digital World. I need to focus on bringing down the Demon Lords and saving Sora and Catherine."_

_Maria's heart flinched slightly at the mention of the redheaded young woman. She took another deep breath. "T…taichi, wh…what do you think of Sora?"_

_He blinked. "What do you mean?"_

_She fidgeted in her wheelchair. "Um, I…I just was wondering how you feel about her?"_

_Taichi smiled slightly. "Did Hikari put you up to this? Or was it Mimi? Noriko?" He frowned, "My mother?"_

_She shook her head. "N…no, I…I was just…."_

_Realization slowly dawned on Taichi. He stared at her with a mixture of curiosity and wonderment. "She really is cute, and just so…innocent...But she's only 18, she's still just a kid. I don't want to break her heart, but…."_

_He took a deep breath. "Listen, Maria, I…I think I know how you're feeling, but…I…I really don't want to hurt you, but, it wouldn't work…"_

_She blinked a few times. "But…w…what are you talking about?"_

_He frowned. "You know…the way you're feeling about me?"_

_Maria was confused for a moment, then blushed even more. "Oh no, you think that….that I….I have feelings for you?"_

_Taichi raised his eyebrow. "Don't you?"_

_The Latino woman smiled slightly. "I…I don't think of you like that. Y…you're more like a big brother to me."_

_Taichi smiled slightly as well. "Well that's good," he exhaled, "You're more like a little sister to me…well, a littler sister."_

_Maria giggled slightly…._

"Taichi!"

            He blinked and glanced down to Yamato, who was staring up at him from Garurumon X's back. "Taichi.."

            "What?" he asked.

            "I think we've found something."

            He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

            Witchmon hovered beside him and Miayag pointed forward. "There."

            He turned to stare forward; atop a tall building, he could see a cloud of black energy funneling in from the sky. "Okay, that's weird."

            "But what's up there?" Garurumon X asked.

            "One moment," Witchmon said. She made a quick movement with her hands, then pointed her right hand at the building and held open the palm of her right hand. An image of the top of the building appeared over her palm, an image of a red demon gathering black energy within the palms of his hands.

            "GranDracmon!" Miayag gasped, "He is there."

            "That's where we're going, right?" Greymon X asked.

            Taichi nodded. "You got it. Let's move!"

            The three humans quickly merged with their digimon, creating Wargreymon X, Metalgarurumon X and Kuzuhamon. As the three mega digimon flew towards the building roof, they were able to make out GranDracmon on the roof. He was drawing in immense amounts of blackness.

            "What's he doing?" Wargreymon X asked.

            "I have no idea," Kuzuhamon said, "It would appear that he is gathering energy for some reason…let us hope it is to power himself."

            "Why?" Metalgarurumon X asked.

            "Because, then it would mean that he is not yet at his full strength, which increases our odds of defeating him…if only slightly."

            "The best we've got," Metalgarurumon X sighed, "Well, who wants to live forever, right?"

            He was suddenly struck in his shoulders by beams of red energy. He was shot backwards, passing by Wargreymon X and Kuzuhamon. Once he was able to get control of himself, he flew back to the others.

            "Are you harmed?" Kuzuhamon gasped.

            "I'm fine," he growled, "Who the hell sucker-punched me?"

            Wargreymon X sneered. "Deathmon."

            The trio turned their attention to the sky once more and saw a demonic creature with an eyeball in each palm and a single eyeball on the forehead, riding on his back was the Horseman of Death, Kirahi.

            "Get out of our way!" Wargreymon X shouted.

            Kirahi chuckled, "And you expect us to simply move?"

            The dinosaur clenched his fists and his energy swirled around him. "Get the fuck out of my way!"

            "How rude," Kirahi said, "That is not the manner to address a priestess."

            Kuzuhamon began to growl. "You are not a priestess."

            "Why not?" she asked, "Is a priestess not one that has been ordained by her God?"

            The fox woman narrowed her eyes and gripped her staff tightly. "You will be vanquished, I will see to it personally!"

            "Do whatever you wish," she smiled, "but if you wish to see the Almighty, you must pass me first! Deathmon!"

            Her demonic partner fired arrows of energy from the eyeballs in his palms. Kuzuhamon whipped her staff before her chest, deflecting the energy blasts. Wargreymon X shot up behind Deathmon and pulled his arm back, ready to jab the blade on his gauntlet into the demon's back, but he twisted his arms backwards and fired more arrows of energy from the eyeballs in his palms.

            "Death Arrow!"

            The armored dinosaur winced as the attack struck him in the chest. Deathmon continued his assault by blasted an intense beam from the eyeball in his head. "Explosion Eye!"

            Wargreymon X whipped his arms over his head to protect his face as the blast threw him backwards, slamming him into a building.

            "_Juukeitei!"_ Kuzuhamon exclaimed.

            As the fox woman floated to inspect her injured cousin, Metalgarurumon X hovered in front of Kirahi and Deathmon. "And look who's here now," Kirahi chuckled.

            "That's right!" the metallic wolf shouted back, "Here, and ready to kick your ass!" He whipped his arm around and began to fire from the shotgun attached to his wrist. Deathmon twisted out of the way, firing more Death Arrows from his palms. Metalgarurumon X was able to dodge these attacks as well. He pulled his head back and expunged a blast of cold air from his mouth. "Cocytus Breath!"

            "Look out!" Kirahi shouted.

            Her partner leapt to the side, but Metalgarurumon X's attack struck his leg, freezing it instantly.

            "Damn you," the demon growled. He raised his palms, "Death A…"

            Before he could finish, Wargreymon X smashed his fists into the frozen leg, shattering it. Deathmon roared in pain, which left him open for a missile to the face by Metalgarurumon. Kirahi clenched tightly as her partner was thrown about. In the matter of mere moments, she had lost control of the battle. A punch by Wargreymon X in Deathmon's stomach caused him to lurch, a kick by Metalgarurumon X caused him to flip. As they were tossed about, she wondered where the third mega had gone, when Kuzuhamon appeared before them.

            The fox woman narrowed her eyes, "Reverse Rice Cord!" She began to twirl her staff in a circle before her, creating four glowing foxes that leapt into the air. Each fox slammed into Kirahi and Deathmon, dispersing as they did. The fox woman completed her combo attack by jabbing the tip of her staff into Demon's eye, through his head and into Kirahi's chest. Both Horseman and Digimon exploded moments later.

            "Excellent job," Wargreymon X said, hovering next to her.

            Kuzuhamon swung her staff in a practiced maneuver. "She was outmatched before the battle began." She turned to the building roof, "Come, we must finish this."

111

            GranDracmon stood atop the building roof, staring up the night sky, the mysterious cloud of energy above his head. He grinned. "Tell me Seraphimon, Ophanimon, Cherubimon, can you see me from your graves, and know that I won? That your brilliant schemes failed, that I survived! I live on, I am immortal!"

            He blinked and turned his head slightly. "So, I am to assume that my Horsemen have fallen?"

He turned completely around and saw six Mega digimon hovering in the sky before him. He glanced at each one, "Wargreymon X, Metalgarurumon X, Kuzuhamon, you I know, but Hououmon, Pleisomon and Apocalymon? Truly unique evolutions…"

            "Shove your compliments up your ass!" Apocalymon shouted.

            Kuzuhamon mentioned to the cloud of dark energy in the sky. "What have you been doing?"

            The demon chuckled. "As you probably are aware, I have been trapped within the Dark Area for untold years, my strength is diminishing, so I have been gathering energy to recharge, it is not yet complete…" His mouth twisted into a grin, "But I still have more then enough power to defeat you…"

            Each Mega digimon prepared themselves to attack. "This is it!" Metalgarurumon X shouted.

            Wargreymon X pointed his bladed gauntlet at the demon, "You fucking vampire, you're going down!"

            GranDracmon laughed and stretched out his arms. "Then let us see who will survive!"

            To be concluded…


	28. Armageddon: Chapter 3

_My name is Taichi Yagami, and it's the end of the world. This whole thing started when a large number of our former team mates were joining a group called Digitalatri to save themselves from the Second Black Death. Then the Demon Lords showed up, attacking young women who began to display strange powers. Their leader, Cahiti, used a device called the Soul Catcher to take their powers and destroy the Digital World._

_            But we were manipulated from the very beginning, all of us. Digitalatri's Priestess, my cousin Miayag, had been used by the Digital God, a demon named GranDracmon, to give him the strength to break free of the Dark Area, where he had been trapped since the beginning of the Digital World, and the Demon Lords were used to destroy the Digital World, allowing him to escape._

_            He's killed so many of our friends, and now, we're all that's standing between him and completing his plans. We have to win, no matter what!_

_Digimon__ Apocalypse:_

_The Book of Armageddon:_

_Chapter 3_

            GranDracmon stood atop the building roof, staring up the night sky, the mysterious cloud of energy above his head. He grinned. "Tell me Seraphimon, Ophanimon, Cherubimon, can you see me from your graves, and know that I won? That your brilliant schemes failed, that I survived! I live on, I am immortal!"

            He blinked and turned his head slightly. "So, I am to assume that my Horsemen have fallen?"

He turned completely around and saw six Mega digimon hovering in the sky before him. He glanced at each one, "Wargreymon X, Metalgarurumon X, Kuzuhamon, you I know, but Hououmon, Pleisomon and Apocalymon? Truly unique evolutions…"

            "Shove your compliments up your ass!" Apocalymon shouted.

            Kuzuhamon mentioned to the cloud of dark energy in the sky. "What have you been doing?"

            The demon chuckled. "As you probably are aware, I have been trapped within the Dark Area for untold years, my strength is diminishing, so I have been gathering energy to recharge, it is not yet complete…" His mouth twisted into a grin, "But I still have more then enough power to defeat you…"

            Each Mega digimon prepared themselves to attack. "This is it!" Metalgarurumon X shouted.

            Wargreymon X pointed his bladed gauntlet at the demon, "You fucking vampire, you're going down!"

            GranDracmon laughed and stretched out his arms. "Then let us see who will survive!"

            Wargreymon X was the first to strike. He shot forward, swinging his bladed gauntlet into the vampire's head. GranDracmon swung his arm around, using the back of his forearm to protect his head. He swung his other arm around, slamming his fist into the dinosaur's stomach, causing him to wince in pain. Before Wargreymon X could form a counter-attack, Kuzuhamon shot in from the side, swinging her staff around to bash him in the side of the head, but he quickly pulled his head back and the fox woman's staff whacked into Wargreymon X.

            "Sorry, _Juukeitei_!" she gasped. She instinctively flew to his side, but that left her open for GranDracmon's attack. He swung his fist forward, ready to smash her…

            "Sand Water Blast!"

             Once his fist reached Kuzuhamon, instead of punching her, he opened his fists and grabbed her by the ankle and swung her around, using her as a shield to block Plesiomon's attack. The fox woman was pelted with waves of sand and water. He swung her into Wargreymon X, tangling them into an in-are pretzel.

            "Damn it!" Plesiomon shouted.

            GranDracmon chuckled and flexed his muscles. "You bastard," the Deep Saver muttered. She shot forward, waves of sound screaming from her mouth, "Sorrow Blue!"

            The vampire winced slightly as the sound waves battered him. Apocalymon took this opportunity to assault his enemy. His claws flew from his cubed-body, whipping around him.  He began to swing them forward, first one, then two. GranDracmon dodged them as best he could, but soon all eight claws were assaulting him. With Plsiomon's attack, he was not able to fully concentrate, but when he spied a claw coming at him from the left, he shot his hand around and grabbed hold of it. Apocalymon kept swinging his claws, however, and GranDracmon used his other hand to grab another one. The Dark Area digimon did not care, he still had six claws left. GranDracmon, however, pulled his left arm back as hard as he could, and Apocalymon was jerked to the left, his swinging claws bashing into Plesiomon, silencing her sonic attack.

            "Much better," he said, cracking his neck.

            He heard a loud screeching sound and turned his attention to the sky to see Hououmon shooting down towards him. Her wings were flurried out, her eyes glowing red with flames. Her mouth opened, "Starlight…"

            Before she could finish, GranDracmon grabbed her neck and began to squeeze. She struggled to free herself, but the vampire's grip was stronger then iron.

            "Garuru Tomahawk!"

            Metalgarurumon X's attack struck him in the shoulder, but it was the wrong side, and his grip on Hououmon remained. His eyes turned to the side and saw the metal wolf flying towards him. He swung the giant bird into him, knocking both of them to the ground.

            "Reverse Rice Cord!"

            GranDracmon glanced to the sky to watch as Kuzuhamon began to spin her staff in a tight circle. Four nearly transparent foxes left from the circle and bashed into the vampire's face. Before he could recover, Wargreymon X shot around, his bladed gauntlets aiming for GranDracmon's head. The vampire swung his arms around and managed to smack him.

            "Starlight Explosion!"

            The vampire winced in pain as he took Hououmon's attack at full force. She swarmed in closer for a quick attack with her feet, but that left her open for GranDracmon's arms, which were able to grab her and slam her into the roof of the building. He kicked her as hard as he could, sending her sliding off of the roof, where she fluttered around before gaining her gravity-defining lift once more.

            He cracked his knuckles together. "Ah, I had truly forgotten how much fun this actually is. The glory of combat, yes, and to think I was afraid that being trapped within the god-forsaken Dark Area would have reduced my strength."

            "Talk talk talk!" Plesiomon shouted, "That's all you do! I'm gonna make sure you never talk again! Water Tail Blast!"

            The vampire outstretched his hand and the Deep Savor's attack struck his palm, which was all it took to deflected the stream of water down into the street, where, the people who had gathered to watch the amazing battle were quick to run to safety.

            "Oh damn it!" Plesiomon gasped, "When the hell did they show up?"

            "I've got more bad news," Apocalymon said, mentioning over his shoulder, were more then a dozen new helicopters had arrived.

            The vampire demon grinned. "Just more distractions for you, and more victims for me! Crystal Revolution!"

            "Look out!" Metalgarurumon X shouted.

            The group of mega digimon instinctively leapt to the side to avoid being hit, but GranDracmon's attack struck one of the helicopters, turning it and all inside instantly to crystal. It began to fall rapidly.

            "Don't let it shatter!" Kuzuhamon shouted.

            "Hououmon!" Wargreymon X cried. The giant Holy Beast caught the falling object within her talons and gently placed it on the street. The people ran for cover, yet did not run completely.

            GranDracmon laughed as he watched his enemies gather before him once more. "And you are the self-proclaimed protectors of Earth? Ha! Your world is truly doomed!"

            "You think you scare us?" Wargreymon X shouted, "We've faced scum like you hundreds of times before and we always won!"

            The vampire continued to grin. "Trust me, you have not encountered anyone like me before, I am the ultimate darkness."

            "You think you know darkness?" Plesiomon shouted.

            "I am darkness, pure, unbridled darkness."

            "Darkness is not evil!" the Deep Savor protested, "Don't try to contaminate it with your fucking filth."

            The demon nodded. "Ah, part of you is Noriko Kawada, the Daughter of Darkness, isn't it?"

            "What if it is?"

            He held up his hands. "Nothing was meant by that! I was only curious."

            Hououmon flapped her wings to stay afloat. "Don't try to act so fucking pleasant! Not after everything you did!"

            "And what would that be, my dear? I simply am what I am."

            "That excuse will not work," Kuzuhamon interrupted, "You have done nothing that could even be considered beneficial, you have only worked to fulfill your own selfish desires!"

            "The desire to be free is not a selfish one." He stared at the fox woman, then at the massive figure of Apocalymon hovering behind them. "Nor is the desire to be healthy…"

            They both narrowed their eyes at him. "All right, are you done yet?" Wargreymon X asked.

            GranDracmon shrugged. "Sure, whenever you're ready…"

            This time, Metalgarurumon X led the attack. He fired all of his missile chambers. "Garuru Burst!"

            GranDracmon threw his arms in front of his face to shield himself as the metal wolf laid down a steady stream of missiles. This bought the other human/digimon hybrids cover and they took full advantage. Hououmon began to fly overhead She flapped her wings quickly and breathed out a wave of fire. "Starlight Explosion!"

            The demon could not risk removing his arms, so he allowed the Holy Beast's attack to strike him in the shoulder. Plesiomon's Water Tail Blaster smashed into his other shoulder. He could not believe it, he actually felt intense pain from that! He never suspected that these pathetic creatures would harm him. He felt a wave of panic and he threw his arms open, the shockwave sent Metalgarurumon X's missiles back towards him. With his arms now free, Apocalymon whipped his claws around, smashing three of them into GranDracmon, sending him skidding backwards. He was able to stop before he would have slid off of the roof.

            "Reverse Rice Cord!"

            He shot his head up as Kuzuhamon's attack bashed into him with such force that his front side actually lifted into the air. Wargreymon X placed both of his arms together and began to spin at an incredible rate. "Great Tornado!"

            His physical technique slammed into GranDracmon's torso area, spinning and bashing until the demon was flung from the building roof and sailed to the street below. Most of the people had already fled when the battle had begun, but those that remained saw the shadow of the giant demon flying towards them. GranDracmon smashed into the ground, causing a large earth quake, shattering the building windows and flattening countless numbers of cars below him.

            Wargreymon X and Kuzhuamon hovered over the building roof, staring down at their enemy. "Did we get him?" the dinosaur asked, "I think we got him…I'm pretty sure we got him…"

            "He is not moving," Kuzuhamon replied.

            Down below, GarnDracmon lay in the street. "How, how can this be? I am the supreme might! I am the God of the Digital World! How could I have been defeated by mere mortals?! How?!"

            He slowly turned his head to stare up at the building roof, where his enemies were gathered. As he did, he noticed the large collection of dark energy he had gathered before the fight began. Of course, that is why they had beaten him, he was not yet at full strength. He jumped to his feet and pointed his hands towards the sky.

            "What's he doing now?" Metalgarurumon X asked.

            Kuzuhamon gasped and twisted around just in time to watch as the collaboration shot past them. "Oh no!" she exclaimed.

            The ball of dark energy flowed down the sky, slamming into the vampire's chest. He winced as the energy flowed through him, his injuries melted away. He threw his arms into the air and screamed in triumph.

            "I think we're in trouble now," Plesiomon muttered.

            GranDracmon's body was radiating with power. He shot back into the air, where before he had not displayed any flying capabilities. He flew towards them like a missile, swinging his arm into Wargreymon X's stomach, sending the dinosaur flying backwards, where he smashed through three buildings before finally stopping.

            "Oh shit," Plesiomon gasped.

            GranDracmon laughed as he stretched his muscles. "All right, time for round two!"

            Kuzuhamon shot forward, swinging her staff into the right side of the vampire's head. He once again raised his arm, but instead of blocking it, he grabbed the weapon and held it tightly. The fox woman was too shocked to release her grip and his arm shot up the weapon and grabbed her arm, holding it tight. He brought his other fist up and slammed it into Kuzuhamon's face as hard as he could. Her eyes shot open, he slammed her once again, and she screamed in pain.

            "Kuzuhamon!" Apocalymon shouted. He whipped his claws around, heading for the vampire demon. GranDracmon kept his grip on Kuzuhamon's arms, but with his other hand he grabbed the claw by its chain. He yanked as hard as he could, pulling the giant digimon forward. Once Apocalymon was close enough, he threw the claw as hard as he could, bashing into the giant mega's head. He then turned his attention back to Kuzuhamon.

            Metalgarurumon X watched as the giant demon slammed his fist into the fox woman's face once again. "That's it!" he said, "We can't hold back anymore!"

            Hououmon stared at him. "But…what about the city?"

            "If we don't get rid of him, there won't be a city left!" he shouted, "I'm going to save Kuzuhamon, cover me!"

            The Holy Beast nodded. "You got it."

            Metalgarurumon X shot around the giant beast and Hououmon pulled her neck back and unleashed a wave of crimson fire, larger then anything she had produced before. "Starlight Explosion!" The wave of fire coursed over his face, blinding him momentarily. It was all the time Metalgarurumon X needed. He fired a Garuru Tomahawk into GranDracmon's shoulder, causing him to release his grip. Kuzuhamon slowly descended towards the ground. She quickly regained herself and flew back into the sky. She was panting heavily and her face mask was chipped and cracked.

            "Holy shit!" Plesiomon gasped, "Are you all right?"

            "I have been better," she responded, "But I will not rest until he is dead!"

            GranDracmon chuckled. "Then I hope you enjoy insomnia!"

            Hououmon glanced over her shoulder and smiled as Wargreymon X flew back to the battle. "Are you okay?"

            "I'm fine," he growled, "I just want to rip his fucking head off!"

            GranDracmon opened his arms. "Then come and get me."

            The dinosaur roared and shot forward. "Don't!" Hououmon shouted, but to no avail, Wargreymon X's temper had gotten the better of him. He pulled his bladed gauntlet back, ready to shove it into the demon's eyes. He flew closer, but the mouth that comprised his right leg joint opened its mouth and a forked-tong whipped out like a snake.

            "Wargreymon, look out!" Hououmon shouted.

            The dinosaur twisted out of the way with inches to spare. The tongue whipped from behind, and Wargreymon X twisted around, using the blades on his gauntlets to slice the red snake in half.

            "Hope you learned something."

            He just grumbled. "All right, Metalgarurumon is right, we've got to take him out right now! No matter what…"

            He turned to the others, "Hit him with everything you've got."

            "What about you?" Plesiomon asked.

            "I need to gather energy for my attack," he explained.

            Apocalymon hovered over. "What about me?"

            The dinosaur turned to him. "You're strong, too strong. I don't want to risk losing half the city…not yet. Just hang back for now."

            He crossed his arms. "Fine."

            Wargreymon X shouted, "All right, let's do it!" He shot to the street below, which had been vacated by the people, who had moved to a safe distance. He slammed into the ground with enough force to cause the pavement to crack. He positioned his arms above his head and waves of red magma flew from the crack and began to collect into a ball within his palms.

            Above him, Metalgarurumon X spread out his arms and legs, opening all of his missile chambers. "Garuru Burst!"

            "Oh, not this again," GranDracmon chuckled. He hugged himself and allowed the missiles to impact across his lower body before the projectiles moved up to his torso. He flung his arms open, creating a wave of force that sent the missiles sailing in all directions. Some blasted into the streets, other shot through building windows, annihilating entire floors.

            None of the Chosen digimon had time to wonder if anyone had been harmed, they could not afford that luxury at the moment. Plesiomon whipped her tail up and fired a geysers of water into GranDracmon's face while Kuzuhamon whipped her staff into two semi-circles of energy.

            "Water Tail Blaster!"

            "Womb World Mandala!"

            Both attacks sailed towards the massive demon, but he screamed as loud as he could, dissolving the energy attacks into nothingness. Down below, Wargreymon X was watching the battle with anticipation. He kept his attention on the gathering magma above his head. "Come on…come on…"

            Up above, Plesiomon fired another blast of her Water Tail Blaster, but this time, Metalgarurumon X used his Cocytus Breath to free it into a jagged cyclone of ice that struck GranDracmon in the chest. Kuzuhamon unleashed her Reverse Rice Cord, attacking his injured chest with her four magical foxes. The combo was ended with Hououmon's Starlight Explosion.

            The four digimon panted heavily, staring at the smoked-covered vampire digimon. To their dismay, GranDracmon was unharmed. "If you can do no better then that, then your world truly is doomed."

            Down below, Wargreymon X had finally finished gathering his magma energy. "Get out of the way!" he screamed and threw the ball of liquid heat as hard as he could. The Chosen digimon shot out of the way, allowing the magma ball to find its target.

            GranDracmon simply smirked. He raised his palm, and Wargreymon X's attack struck his open fist, exploding in such an intense mixture of heat that the metal on the adjacent building began to bow and the glass melted.

            "Damn it!" the dinosaur shouted, "Fuck…"

"Come on!" Apocalymon said, cracking his knuckles, "Send me in coach, I can do it!"

He glanced up at the gigantic digimon hovering in the night sky. "All right Apocalymon, it's your turn."

            The Dark Area digimon chuckled as the other digimon floated to the side. "I knew it was all coming down to me in the end. Heh…"

            "Arrogant son of a bitch, isn't he?" Plesiomon muttered.

            GranDracmon cracked his neck. "Send whomever you want, I will defeat them all."

            "Now who's the arrogant one?" Apocalymon chuckled.

            "Is it arrogance if you speak the truth?" the demon asked.

            Apocalymon stared at him for what seemed like hours before he whipped three of his claws into the air and pointed them at GranDracmon. They all twisted and morphed into images of Mugen Dramon, the cannons pointed directly at the demon.

            GranDracmon smirked. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

            Apocalymon grinned. "Infinity Cannon!"

            The resulting explosion was enough to turn the night sky bright as day, adjacent buildings were annihilated instantly; even the mega digimon defenders of Earth were caught in the maelstrom.

            Hououmon managed to regain control of herself by flapping her wings rapidly. She watched in growing horror as similar explosions exploded around the city in mere moments. Apocalymon and GranDracmon were tearing into each other as they blasted through buildings and destroyed the natural Earth.

            "I don't believe this!" the Holy Beast gasped.

            "I know," Wargreymon X growled, "This is why I didn't want him fighting! Damn it!"

            Kuzuhamon hovered beside them. "Let us just be content that most of these buildings have already been evacuated."

            Hououmon stared at her. "Most?"

            The two Dark Area digimon continued to battle with increasing intensity. Apocalymon's plan of attack was to use his claws' morphing ability to assault the demon vampire. A claw morphed into Metalseadramon and fired his Infinity Stream into GranDracmon's shoulder, another claw turned into Piedmon, who executed the Final Spell technique. Two more claws twisted into position: the left one turned into Wargreymon X, while the right one turned into Metalgaruurmon X. The dinosaur-doppelganger fired his Gaia Force, while the wolf-doppelganger fired his Garu Tomahawk.

            "How does he know those?" Metalgarurumon X gasped.

            Wargreymon X crossed his arms. "Because he watched us do it…"

            Both of Apocalymon-clones attacked GranDracmon with their energy-based techniques smashed into the vampire, throwing even him into the street. The demon threw car after car at Apocalymon. The sea of cars had long since been abandoned, but if they were occupied, it would not have mattered to him at all. The Dark Area digimon used his claws to bat them aside. GranDracmon continued his assault, until Apocalymon began to fire a barrage of laser grenades at the demon below. GranDracmon blocked the assault with a passenger bus, but Apocalymon's attack instantly tore it to shreds.

            Apocalymon shot one of his claws into the pavement and used it like elastic to pull himself closer to the ground. He began to whip his claws like a multi-armed boxer, bashing and jabbing, it was all the demon could do to shield his face. With the majority of his claws, he continued the assault, but two claws sneaked through the maelstrom and grabbed GranDracmon's arms and pulled them apart, revealing his face.

            Apocalymon chuckled as he stared at the vampire's face. "All right, you sack of shit, not so tough now, are you?"

            The vampire struggled to free himself. "Look at you, you're pathetic!" Apocalymon exclaimed, "So much for your great power, you've completely given up!"

            GranDracmon smirked. "Actually, I was just waiting for you to get close enough."

            Apocalymon blinked. "What?"

            The vampire laughed. "Eye of the Gorgon!"

            "Eye of the Gorgon?" Pelsiomon gasped.

            Kuzhuamon narrowed her eyes. "I think this is bad, very, very bad!"

            They watched in confusion as Apocalymon slowly rose back into the night sky. GranDracmon leapt back to his feet and hovered into the air as well. The vampire lord laughed as he crossed his arms. "Chosen of Earth, please meet my new servant, Apocalymon!"

            He turned to the Dark Area digimon. "Now, destroy them!"

            "Oh shit," Metalgarurumon X muttered.

            Apocalymon roared and fired his claws forward. Two of the appendages once again morphed into likenesses of Mugen Dramon and promptly fired his Infinity Cannons, directly into Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X, throwing them through the pavement and into the sewers.

            "Wargreymon!" Hououmon screamed.

            "Metalgarurumon!" Plesiomon shouted.

            "They will be fine," Kuzuhamon said, gripping her staff, "However, I fear that is a condition we will not be enjoying soon…"

            Apocalymon chuckled. "Still talking so high-and-mighty, huh?"

            The fox woman stared at him. "Stop this at once! I am commanding you as your Priestess!"

            "You're not telling us what to do anymore!" he shouted. Four of his claws surrounded the three mega digimon, twisting and morphing until they had taken on the likeness of the four digimon partners of the four remaining members of the Digitalatri: Metalseadramon, Mugen Dramon, Pinocchimon and Piedmon.

            Hououmon and Plesimon stared forward, each ones eyes darting to the giant crater in the city streets. "Keep your eyes forward," Kuzuhamon ordered, "We will not survive for long if we are distracted."

            Before either of them could respond, the four Dark Master-claws attacked. Metalseadramon attacked with Infinity Stream, aiming for Plesiomon and Pinocchimon aimed for Hououmon with his Magic Hammer. Mugen Dramon's Infinity Cannon and Piedmon's Final Spell were aimed directly at Kuzuhamon.

            Plesiomon fired her Water Tail Blaster, both her and Metalseadramon's attacks slammed into each other, however, the Dark Master-doppelganger was too powerful from Plesiomon's attack, and it was only by twisting out of the way did she avoid being sliced into two. As for Hououmon, she was able to avoid Pinocchimon's attack simply by flying higher into the air, but a second round of his Magic Hammer at her wing was enough to send her into a tailspin where she smashed into one of the buildings surrounding the battlefield.

            Kuzuhamon was able to easily maneuver her way through Mugen Dramon and Piedmon's attacks…easily because she had full knowledge of their attacks, but when an un-morphed claw struck her from behind, she was thrown forward. She stopped herself inches before another claw would have grabbed her. She shot into the air, the claw following her.

            She growled slightly as she watched Apocalymon's claw gaining closer and closer. Out of the corner of her eye she spied another claw moving to intercept her. She grinned slightly to herself and quickly darted aside, the claw that had been following her smashed into the claw that was moving to intercept her and the two became tangled.

            She stared at Apocalymon, still smiling. "A truly stupid move, I taught you better…"

            While he was untangling himself, Kuzuhamon turned to GranDracmon, who was now resting atop another building, "Why don't you fight yourself?"

            The demon vampire began to laugh, "You are only 19 years of age, there is still much for you to learn. First rule of advice I shall give you, never do anything if there is someone you can…convince to do it for you."

            "Forced, you mean!" Kuzuhamon noticed that Pelsiomon and Hououmon had floated over to join her, but she kept her gaze firmly on the self-proclaimed God of the Digital World.

            "Or manipulation works just as well…you should know that better then anyone. Ah, I see that Apocalymon is ready for his next attack."

            The trio turned their attention to the gigantic digimon, whose claws were like mouths, ready to attack. "Why don'cha just fight yourself?" Plesiomon asked, "Are you scare or something?"

            "Plesiomon!" Hououmon gasped.

            GranDracmon continued to smirk. "All digimon are born with the ability to manipulate energy and matter, rarely together, and rarely on a planet-wide scale I'll grant you, but all digimon have these techniques, one of mine is simply to manipulate the atoms and chemicals within a living brain, in this case, Apocalymon's." His smile grew, "But Apocalymon…he has the ability to use _all_ digimon's attacks…and I do mean _ALL_, right?"

            The Dark Area digimon grinned and one of his claws shot in front of Kuzuhamon, Hououmon and Plesiomon. The claw began to twist and morph into a likeness of non-other then GranDracmon himself.

            "Oh shit," Plesiomon muttered.

            The GranDracmon-doppelganger threw his hands above his head and a white sphere of light began to from within his palms. Hououmon stared in horror. "Isn't that…"

            "Move!" Kuzhuamon ordered, "Now!"

            Thanks to her warning, the GranDracmon-doppelganger's Crystal Revolution completely missed the trio of digimon, instead, it struck a skyscraper, completely transforming it into crystal.

            "How the hell are we gonna beat him?" Plesiomon gasped, "GranDracmon was hard enough, but now we've got him too!"

            "We are going to have to use whatever force is necessary," Kuzuhamon replied.

            "That's it?" Hououmon gasped, "They're you teammates, and you're just going to kill them?"

            "What else would you have me do?" she asked, "This entire world is at risk."

            The Holy Beast turned her attention back to the giant crater in the street, "Wargreymon…"

            Kuzuhamon gripped her staff tightly. "If you do not wish to aid me, then stay behind." She shot forward and tremendous speed, hopping to pass through Apocalymon's claws and strike his face, but his sharp appendages continued to jab at her. She twisted her staff around at quick speed, sending one of the claws twirling backwards where it knocked into Apocalymon's nose. She leapt onto another claw and ran up its DNA-shaped chain and landed on his giant cubed body. She was about to run to his actual body when she felt the shadow of one of the claws overhead.

            "Starlight Explosion!"

            The fox woman blinked in surprise as Hououmon's attack struck the claw with enough force to actually destroy it. She grinned at the Holy Beast. "Thank you."

            "Just hurry up before I change my mind!" she shouted, "We'll cover you!"

            Kuzuhamon nodded and charged towards Apocalymon's organic body. "Stay back!" he shouted.

            The fox woman continued on her path. "Aren't you going to fight back?" she shouted, "Come on, I thought you were going to defeat us, turn us into crystals just like the others?"

            He raised his arms into the air. "You don't know when the shut up do you? Crystal Revolution!"

            He fired the double of GranDracmon's attack at the approaching fox woman. She grinned. "Perfect." She twisted the edge of her staff around and the Crystal Revolution struck the tip at full force. She was deflecting enough of the beam to continue to run forward, but the majority was flowing around her weapon, striking her armored body. Still she pressed on, until she had come close enough to Apocalymon's organic body to shove the crystalline wave into his chest, now his own attack was covering him as well. The wave soon overtook Kuzuhamon, transforming her into crystal, but the portion she deflected was enough to turn Apocalymon to glass as well. The Dark Area digimon's transformed body smashed into a building roof, he and Kuzuhamon, statues locked in battle for all eternity.

            "Kuzuhamon," Plesiomon gasped.

            "That was her plan all along," Hououmon exclaimed in realization.

            Before Plesiomon could respond, both digimon heard a roar of laughter. They twisted around to stare at the God of the Digital World.

            "Don't think this means you've won," GranDracmon chuckled.

            "We don't stand a chance, do we?" Plesiomon asked.

            "Probably not," Hououmon responded, "But that doesn't mean we're not going down without a fight! On three…one…two…three! Starlight Explosion!"

            "Water Tail Blaster!"

            Both attacks shot forward at incredible speed, Hououmon's from the right and Plesiomon's from the left. GranDracmon held his arms out, each one in the path of an attack. He groaned slightly, exerting his power. Suddenly, both attacks twisted around as soon as they came close enough to his hands.

            "Oh shit!" Hououmon shouted.

            Plesiomon's Water Tail Blaster struck Hououmon directly in the beak, while Hououmon's Starlight Explosion bashed into Plesiomon's neck. Both digimon were thrown onto a building roof. GranDracmon darted above them, a white glow forming in his outstretched arms. "Crystal Revolution!"

            "Gaia Force!"

            "Garuru Tomahawk!"

            GranDracmon glanced to both sides as Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X's attacks smashed into his shoulders, causing him to cease his attack on the two fallen digimon.

            "So, you're still alive?" he asked, staring down the two X-digimon.

            "You're damn right we are!" Metalgarurumon X shouted.

            "There you go with that mouth again," he replied, shaking his head.

            "Shut up!" Wargreymon X shouted. He glanced down at Hououmon and Plesiomon, "Are you two allright?"

            They struggled to stand. "Yeah," the Holy Bird answered, "We'll be fine."

            GranDracmon smirked. "Crystal Revolution!"

            Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X braced themselves for his attack, but were horrified as he directed his crystal wave at Hououmon and Plesiomon, trapping them in crystal statues. They were locked in pose of attempting to stand, their face displaying a look of weakness and horror.

            Wargreymon X screamed, "GranDracmon! I'll make you pay for this!"

            "You just don't get it, do you?" he laughed, "You cannot win! I have centuries…millennia of might and power! You are nothing to me! Nothing at all!"

            "And you don't get it!" Wargreymon X shouted, "We've never lost, not once! No matter what, we'll beat you!"

            He smirked. "And you call me arrogant…"

            "That's because you are," Metalgarurumon X replied.

            "Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black…"

            "Or maybe…"

            "Would you two shut up already?!" Wargreymon X shouted, clenching his fists, "I don't want to talk him to death, I just want to kill him!"

            "So eager to dish out death, aren't you?"

            "Stop talking like you're so fucking high and mighty!"

            "But am I!" he said, "You still do not understand, I am the God of the Digital World! I am power incarnate! I am…"

            He was cut off abruptly when Metalgarurumon X's Garuru Tomahawk smashed into his face, throwing his head back. "Sorry," the wolf said, "But someone had to shut you up!"

            GranDracmon roared. "I've had enough of this! Crystal Revolution!"

            Both X-digimon twisted out of the way to avoid the attack, but continued forward. Metalgarurumon X began to fire a stream of bullets from his shotguns, laying down a cover fire for Wargreymon X to shoot in from the right, aiming his bladed gauntlets at GranDracmon's neck. "Come on…come on…" he muttered as he shot closer, "Just a little more…"

            He pulled his arm back, waiting for his opportunity. He took a deep breath and swung…

            …but missed as GranDracmon ducked at the last second to avoid a missile blast from Metalgarurumon X.

            "Damn it!" the dinosaur man shouted.

            GranDracmon laughed. "So, that was your plan, was it? If you are resulting to such obvious distraction tactics, then you truly are doomed."

            Both X-digimon hovered near each other, staring at the demon. "I'm running low, how 'bout you?" Metalgarurumon X asked.

            "I was exhausted two hours ago," he said, "But we've got to keep going, we're the only ones left now."

            He smiled. "I never had any intention of giving up."

            "On three?"

            He nodded. "One…two…three!"

            Both X-digimon shot forward as fast as they could, but Metalgarurumon X reached him first. He was about to pummel him with a physical attack, but GranDracmon punched him as hard as he could in his stomach. Wargreymon X screeched to a halt, staring in horror as his friend screamed out in pain; he was certain that he would be finishing this fight on his own…with what little strength he had left.

            GranDracmon grabbed Metalgarurumon X by his legs and flung him into Wargreymon X with enough force that sent both of them crashing into a building roof; the metallic wolf lying motionless atop the dinosaur man's stomach.

            Wargreymon X struggled to move, "Metalgarurumon!" he shouted.

            "I…I can't move at all," he muttered, "I…I'm paralyzed!"

            "Shit," the dinosaur gasped, "He's coming!"

            "I…I'm sorry…"

            GranDracmon laughed as he hovered above them. "I see you finally understand," he laughed, "There is nothing you could do anyway, I am simple invincible, I am immortal! Digimon do eventually die, their data becomes too corrupted to stand together, but I will live on! Your world will fall before me, even those Chosen that will be foolish enough to challenge me will fail. You have fought well, and for that, I will honor you…your statues will sit at the entrance to my castle, a reminder to those that dare oppose me!"

            He raised his hands above his head, and a ball of white energy began to appear. Wargreymon X struggled as hard as he could, but it was no use, Metalgarurumon X's cyborg body was simply too heavy for him to lift…especially with his legs tangled beneath his torso.

            GranDracmon smiled slightly. "Farewell. Crystal Revolution!"

            He flung the ball of energy forward, it sailed through the sky before enveloping the two X-digimon. Metalgarurumon X did not move as his body was transformed into crystal, and Wargreymon X could only stare up at the night sky as the wave crept over his eyes, blocking his vision forever.

            GranDracmon roared with laughter. "I have won! I have defeated them! I am supreme!" He twisted around and stared at the city before him, he was even able to see across the city boundaries to the land surrounding it. "This entire country will be mine before long, and I will use it to conquer the planet! Hahaha!"

            And the Chosen and digimon defenders of Earth, could do nothing, they were trapped in statues, for all time…

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            Taichi and Yamato, along with their digimon partners, who had been regressed back to the Baby forms, had suddenly found themselves floating within a void of complete and absolute white, a glow that seemed the emanate from all directions, a place surrounded by nothingness. Completely empty…all saved them.

            Taichi crossed his arms as he hovered in the void. "Well, anyone got any ideas?"

            "We've got to get out of here first," Koromon suggested.

            "But where exactly are we?" Tsunomon asked, "I mean, we could be…anywhere."

            "This is the void of those trapped in crystal."

            The quartet spun around and saw an assemblage of nine being, nine humans female, nine that they knew well. "M…Miayag," Taichi gasped, "Sora, Anna…M…Maria, Keeya"

            Yamato was equally as surprised. "Noriko, Lynna, Catherine, Iduia? But...how…?"

            "As I have just said," Miayag answered, "We are now in a void, a place created by GranDracmon's Crystal Revolution, here is where all turned to statues are sent."

            "Okay," Yamato said, "But what about Catherine and the others? They weren't…" He suddenly became aware of the changes in the French woman's appearance…her hair had returned, her locks of curly blond hair were now once more flowing across her shoulders.

            She was not the only one who was starkly different, Keeya's missing had had been returned to her, Maria once more had legs, and Iduia…Iduia was no longer a mess of implants and machines.

            "We're dead?" Yamato gasped.

            "No," Catherine smiled, "We four are, but you are not, not yet…"

            "But then how…?"

            Keeya turned to Sora, then mentioned to her and Maria. "Our queen called us here…"

            Catherine placed a hand on Iduia's shoulder and mentioned to Noriko. "As did our Princess."

            "But why?" Koromon asked.

            "To urge you not to give up," Anna said.

            "Yeah," Lynna nodded, "Ya can't quit now!"

            Taichi smiled. "We never had any intention of giving up, we just need to figure out how to win."

            "But the first thing we need to do is get out of here!" Koromon exclaimed, mentioning with his arms.

            Miayag thought for a moment. "Perhaps if you had enough strength, you could break free."

            "But we're already at Mega levels," Tsunomon protested, "How could we get stronger then that?"

            Sora and Noriko glanced at each other, then nodded. "We'll do it."

            "Do what?" Yamato asked.

            "We'll just give you more of our power," Sora explained, "We'll give you everything we have if we have too."

            "No!" Taichi shouted, "Sora, you can't…I mean…remember what happened to…to…"

            "Then we'll help too!" Lynna interrupted, "Me and Anna ain't gonna sit on the sidelines now!"

            "You can't!" Yamato protested, "You're all still….still alive! And if you give your power now, you'll die!"

            "We can't just let it end like this!" Noriko said, "We can't!"

            Iduia smiled and spoke for the first time any of them had heard. Her voice was a melody tone, a Brazilian voice that could have rivaled any singer. "Then maybe we should all help."

            "Yes," Keeya smiled, "We will give you our energy as well."

            "But how can you?" Tsunomon asked.

            "My power of Forrest still exists in Mimi," the African woman explained.

            "And Metal is in Michael," Iduia said.

            "My power of Light iz still wi't you, Yamato," Catherine added.

            "And my power of Earth is with you Taichi," Maria giggled.

            Anna turned to Taichi. "And I will give you Wind."

            Lynna nodded to Yamato. "And I'll give ya Water."

            "And the last power," Miayag said, "My power, shall be given to you both."

            "Your power?" Taichi gasped.

            She nodded. "Yuushi was a First Chosen as well, and I hold his power of Fate, I too, am a Daughter of the First."

            Taichi turned to the others. "This…this might work…this could work…"

            "Of course it'll work," Koromon said, "It has to!"

            Yamato grinned. "Yeah, will all of your behind us, there's no way we can lose!"

            Miayag nodded. "Taichi Yagami, who has taught us Courage, and Yamato Ishida, who has taught us Friendship, you are the last hope, you must not fail!"

            Iduia smiled as she faced Yamato, a glow of gray light emerging from her hands. "Metal."

            "Tsunomon evolve to Gabumon X!"

            Keeya turned to Taichi as a green glow emanated from her palms, "Forest."

            "Koromon evolve to Agumon X!"

Lynna grinned. "Water."

"Gabumon X evolve to Garurumon X!"

            Anna nodded. "Wind."

            "Agumon X evolve to Greymon X!"

            Catherine was next. "Light."

            "Garurumon X evolve to Weregarurumon X!"

            Maria grinned. "Earth."

            "Greymon X evolve to Metalgreymon X!"

            Noriko bowed slightly at Yamato. "Darkness."

            "Weregarurumon X evolve to Metalgarurumon X!"

            Sora grinned at Taichi. "Fire."

            "Metalgreymon X evolve to Wargreymon X!"

            Miayag now stared at the two Mega digimon, the fusions of Taichi and Agumon X and Yamato and Gabumon X. She raised her palms and a golden light ushered forth, merging with both digimon, causing them to glow gold as well. "Fate."

            Wargreymon X nodded. "With Forest, Wind, Earth, Fire…"

            Metalgarurumon X echoed his statement, "With Metal, Water, Light and Darkness…"

            "With Fate," they both said at once, turning their heads upwards, "GranDracmon, you're finished!"

111

            GranDracmon grinned as she stretched his arms. "Citizens of Tokyo," he said, "Prepare to meet thy maker."

            He suddenly became aware of a bright glow exploding from behind him. He turned and saw that the frozen statues of Metalgarurumon X and Wargreymon X were glowing brightly. "You are truly the most stubborn beings I have ever encountered!" he shouted, "But if you must continue to be taught the same lesson, then so be it!"

            From below, he saw suddenly aware that the statues of Kuzuhamon, Plesiomon and Hououmon were glowing in gold, light blue and black, and dark blue and orange. From far in the distance, at the park which housed the statue of the remaining X-Chosen, although he was unaware of it, Mimi's statue was glowing green, and Michael's statue was glowing gray. The light from these statues suddenly burst forth, flying through the air before smashing into the statues of Wargreymon X and Metalgarurumon X, exploding in bright light. GranDracmon was forced to shield his eyes, from the pure light.

            However, had he been able to, he would have seen the two digimon changing into odd forms, like two giant arms. Gray light formed a lower right leg, green light formed a lower right leg, light blue light created an upper right leg, dark blue light created a upper leg left, bright light formed a lower right torso, brown light created a lower left torso, dark light created a right shoulder, a orange light created a left shoulder, and a gold light formed a helmeted head. The rainbow of light exploded, revealing a majestic figure standing the pre-dawn light. "Omegamon X!"

            GranDracmon stared in horror. "O…Omegamon X….Omegamon X? How…how? A…A Royal Knight? How can a Royal Knight be here? You can't be here!" He narrowed his eyes, "But you're arrival cannot be mere chance…"

            "I don't know what you're talking about," Omegamon X spoke, "But you're not going to distract me from destroying you."

            The demon smirked. "Just because you evolved into a Royal Knight, don't think that you are superior to me. Crystal Revolution!"

            Omegamon X remained in place as the demon's attack struck him in the chest, trapping him within another sheet of crystal. He smirked. "All the showmanship in evolving and for nothing."

            The crystal sheet suddenly exploded, revealing that the mysterious Royal Knight was completely unharmed. "Sorry," he said, "You'll have to do better then that."

            He stared in horror. "H…How can this be?"

            "GranDracmon, you who hold us in contempt, prepare yourself."

            The demon narrowed his eyes, but before he could react, Omegamon X shot forward, slamming his left-handed Wargreymon X head into the side of his head, actually knocking him off of the roof and only by forcing himself to stop, did he stop from slamming into the middle section of an apartment building. He twisted around and began to fire blasts of dark energy from his hands, a barrage of explosive missiles.

            Omegamon X used his Metalgarurumon X head arm to bat them away, showering the ground. As the pavement exploded beneath them, the Royal Knight shot forward again, spinning around and smacking both of his feet into the demon's head. Before GranDracmon could recover, Omegamon X raised both of his arms above his head and slammed down onto the demon's head as hard as he could, smashing GranDracmon into the pavement.

            The Royal Knight hovered in the sky and readied himself to continue his barrage, when GranDracmon whipped a passenger bus at him. He quickly darted out of the way, but when he turned back, the maniacal vampire was gone.

            "GranDracmon!" he shouted, slamming into the ground, "GranDracmon! I'll hunt you down to the ends of the Earth if I have to!"

            "Surprise!" the demon laughed, bashing through a building. As the brick and mortar fell onto the Royal Knight, GranDracmon shot forward and began to assail him with a barrage of punches, smashing him across the chest. Omegamon X opened his arms, then threw them into the demon's head. The vampire began to stumble as the pain from his head overwhelmed his body. Omegamon X brought his arms up, and charged forward, but before he could finish his attack, GranDracmon whipped around, grabbed the Royal Knight by his cape and flipped him onto the ground. He raised his fists and began to bash him with repeated assaults. Omegamon X whipped his Wargreymon X-head around, jabbing one of the horns into GranDracmon's side. The demon vampire winced back, and the Royal Knight was about to jump to his feet, but the mouth that comprised GranDracmon's lower shoulder opened wide and clamped around Omegamon X's torso. The Royal Knight broke feet and stumbled backwards, clutching his injured side.

            He removed his arm, a large section of his torso was missing…worse, the area around the hole was beginning to shimmer and scatter. GranDracmon laughed. "So, even you're not invincible, huh?" He stared at the missing section of his body, "That's a pretty bad gash, and your data is beginning to break apart, it's going to spread to your Digicore soon…"

            He narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll just have to end this before that happens!" He charged forward, his arms outstretched. GranDracmon ran forward and threw his arms out as well. Both of their appendages bashed into each other, both combatants unleashed all of their might, trying to overpower the other. As GranDracmon began to push forward, Omegamon X shifted his legs to give him more leverage, but the demon started to push even more. The Royal Knight pulled his head back, then swung it forward, bashing it into the vampire's face. He released his grip on Omegamon X's arms and the Royal Knight punched him as hard as he could before darting back into the air. GranDracmon began to whip cars at him again, and he darted between them with surprising ease before dropping from the sky as hard as he could, slamming into GranDracmon's back with all of his might. The demon roared in pain, before twisting around, grabbing Omegamon X by his legs and his neck. He raised him above his head, then swung down, crushing his back against his knee. He swung him into a building, before leaping atop another building roof.

            He panted heavily, watching as Omegamon X shot through the roof and hovered in the pre-dawn sky. The two combatants stared at one another, before Omegamon X smiled slightly. "You're losing."

            "What?" GranDracmon gasped, "What?"

            "You've lost…you're losing energy…"

            "And what about you?!" he snapped back, "That injury's getting bigger!"

            Omegamon X did not look down at his growing wound, instead, he stared at the demonic vampire. "GranDracmon, you who hold us in contempt, prepare for death!"

            He raised his Metalgarurumon X arm, the mouth of the wolf opening to allow a large cannon to appear. "Garuru Cannon!"

            A massive explosion of energy shot forth. GranDracmon tensed his muscles to weather the attack, but as the Royal Knight's energy enveloped around him, he screamed in intense pain. His skin was being torn from his bone, but his true horror was yet to come, as Omegamon X raised his Wargreymon X arm, a massive sword erupting forth. "Grey Sword!"

            GranDracmon watched as the Royal Knight shot forward, the sword glimmering in the rising sun. "How can this be? How have I lost?"

            He continued to stare at Omegamon X as he rushed forward. He narrowed his eyes and could see Taichi and Yamato, along with Agumon X and Gabumon X, but behind them, he was able to see each and every Daughter of the First: Sora of Fire and Piyomon, Noriko of Darkness and Plotmon, Maria of Earth and Patamon, Catherine of Light and Floramon, Anna of Wind and Penmon, Lynna of Water and Gizamon, Keeya of Forest and Mushmon, and Iduia of Metal and Kokuwamon. Even Miayag and her Plotmon were there as well.

            GranDracmon sighed deeply. "I understand. Cahiti, you knew this, didn't you? That is why you drew the other Demon Lords to you…isn't it?"

            He glanced up and saw a transparent image of the Demon Lord of Pride, who was hovering in the air, his arms crossed. He smirked slightly and jerked his head to the right. GranDracmon felt an overwhelming explosion of pain as Omegamon X jabbed his sword deep into the demon's face, squarely between his eyes.

            The Royal Knight yanked the weapon out and held it up into the sky. It began to glow bright, shimmering in the pre-dawn light. "All Delete."

            He slammed the sword deep into GranDracmon's lower torso with enough force to cause all the windows in the immediate area to shatter. The demon's body was suddenly covered by dark energy. His body shimmered for a moment before his data exploded apart, scattering into the sky.

            His data flowed far and wide, eventually raining to the ground. The explosion of particles eventually reached even the park. They littered across the frozen Chosen, each one trapped in stone. The crystal layer began to crack, before each and every one shattered, and the Chosen were freed.

            Dingo fell onto his knees, panting heavily. "W…what the hell happened?"

            Jyou glanced around. "And where is GranDracmon?"

            "GranDracmon!" Hikari gasped, "He…he turned us into crystals! I…I remember…." Her eyes shot open, "Taichi! Where's Taichi?"

111

            Back at the battlefield, the statues of the frozen Chosen shattered as well, the fused digimon returning to their previous forms. As the crystal surrounding Hououmon shattered, Sora fell onto her stomach, being off-balance due to her missing leg. She blinked. "W…we're free?"

            "Sora!" Piyomon cried, "We won!"

            A smile slowly crept over the redhead's face, "We won…"

            "Sora!" she heard Noriko scream, "Look into the sky!"

            She, along with the other freed Chosen and digimon, twisted their heads to the sky. Omegamon X was still standing in the same position he had been in when he defeated GranDracmon, the rising sun glinting off of his armor, his cape billowing in the wind.

            "Wow," Lynna said, "That's one fuckin' kick-ass digimon!"

            Noriko's eyes focused on the gapping hole in the side, but before she could say anything, he began to fall…fast. His body glowed brightly before splitting into his primary forms: all unconscious. Agumon X and Taichi fell to the right, while Yamato and Gabumon X fell directly above them.

            "Piyomon!" Sora screamed.

            The pink bird nodded. "Piyomon evolve to…" But to her horror, nothing happened.

            "Oh shit!" Sora gasped, "You're too low on energy!"

            "No!" Noriko screamed, grabbing her hair, "Yamato!"

            The group could only watch in horror as the two Lords of the X-Chosen fell to their deaths…unable to do anything at all. They prepared themselves for the sickening sound of bodies hitting pavement…but that did not occur, as a large serpent shot overhead, Yamato and Gabumon X landing on his back, while a winged cat woman caught Taichi and Agumon X.

            "Yes!" Sora screamed, jumping up and down on her remaining foot, "Yes!"

            As Michael and Megaseadramon X descended towards the building roof, Noriko did not even wait until the serpent had landed before she leapt onto his back and embraced the unconscious blond man.

            "Yamato…" she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "Oh Yamato…"

            Sora was waiting anxiously for Nefertimon X to land. She had to crawl over, due to the lack of her crutches.

            Hikari was smiling as she gently lifted her unconscious brother from the back of her partner and placed him onto the ground. Sora knelt down beside him and gently petted his hair. "Taichi…"

            The younger Yagami placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "This is about the only time he's not going to annoy you, you know," she said with a smile.

            The redhead grinned. "Well, I hope he doesn't tease me as much as his little sister."

            "You'll have to tell me," she laughed, "He's going to be your problem soon."

            Sora laughed as well, and Hikari helped Sora to a standing position. The younger Yagami suddenly gasped and she began to look around. "Where's my cousin?"

            The redhead turned to the building roof where Kuzuhamon and Apocalymon had been fighting. There was no one in sight. "I don't know…she was there…"

            Nefertimon X grumbled, "You think they would at least stay for the celebration…"

            "That'll come later," Hikari answered, "Right now, I think all of you need some rest." She frowned, "I just wished I could have helped."

            Sora smiled at her before exhaustion took over and her eyelids began to drop. Hikari only smiled and watched as the sun rose over the horizon.

111

            The day was beautiful, the sky was a prefect blue, the sun was shining brightly, casting its rays down on the church below. Clouds were absent, birds were chirping, the trees were a multitude of green. It was a beautiful day.

            The pews were filled, each and every person staring intently at the altar. They were smiling, grinning in joy. They were all happy, joy filled their entire souls. After so much death, destruction, horror and fear, and even though today was meant for the two standing atop the altar, they all felt the same overwhelming and overpowering joy.

            The two at the altar slowly turned, facing the red carpet stretching before them. They began to walk forward, smiling broadly. Taichi stood on the left, walking proudly, his arms tightly connected to the woman on his right. Sora, walked as confidently as she could, as she had not yet gotten used to the prosthetic that had replaced her missing leg, her balance had been off while wearing sneakers, but now with heels, she was afraid she would fall onto her face, but she knew that Taichi would be there to hold her tightly. She stared forward with confidence, her glass eye was a near perfect match, and the small imperfections would not be noticeable beneath her veil.

            As the couple walked down the isle, they past by the young men and women who were standing at the front pews. Yamato walked towards the carpet and met Noriko, who had been walking from the right. They locked arms, and the best man and the maid of honor followed the bride and groom.

Jyou was next, meeting Anna in the center. The Russian woman was offered artificial eyes, but she refused, preferring instead to simply wear the goggle-like sunglasses. In order to be able to know when to walk and when to stop, the music had to be played with two speakers pressed into the ground, so Anna could not only hear the tempo, but feel it through the wood as well.

            Behind them was Dingo and Lynna. The Australian woman was offered a prosthetic arm, but she refused. She felt that her missing arm made her who she was, and she was not about to change.

            As Taichi and Sora continued down the isle, they passed by Sora's parents, who smiled broadly. Next was Taichi's father, who was seated next to Taichi's mother. The middle-aged woman was forced to use a cane as a result of her coma, but she would not miss her son's wedding day, and although he would never admit it, Taichi was happy to see her there. As they continued, they passed by Mimi and Michael, who both bowed slightly, next were Hikari and Mitsuo, the young woman was crying with joy. Mina was there as well, who bowed deeply. Near the back pews were the digimon, they wanted to cheer and clap when Taichi and Sora were proclaimed man and wife, but the users quickly silenced them.

            As the couple continued outside, to the waiting limo, Sora climbed inside first, but as Taichi was about to, he caught a glimpse of a group of people mixed into the crowd exiting the church: a young man with a Betamon, a young man with a Tsukaimon, a slightly overweight woman with a Kunemon, another young man with a Penmon, and a younger woman with a Plotmon.

            "Taichi?" Sora asked.

            He turned to her, then looked back, only to find that they had vanished. "Nothing," he said, "Nothing."

            He climbed inside and closed the door. Sora's head fell onto his shoulder as the limo drove forward.

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            "Push!" the doctor shouted, "Push!"

            The young woman panted heavily, exerting with all of her might.

            "Come on!" the doctor said, "You're almost there!"

            The young woman gave one final push before collapsing onto the pillow. Her heart stopped for a moment, but only a moment, as she soon heard the sound of loud crying.

            "Congratulations!" the doctor grinned, "It's a girl."

            "A girl," the woman said, "A baby girl…A little girl…"

            The doctor turned to a young man dressed in hospital scrubs, who had been standing near the door. "Maybe you should tell that crowd outside."

            The man nodded and charged through the door, running down the halls until he arrived at the waiting area. A large group of people were crowded inside the room. Taichi was holding a baby boy in his arms, one with growing red hair. Sora was standing next to him, with a young girl at her legs. Yamato and Noriko were standing next to each other, a young boy with blond hair and a baby boy with brown hair at their feet. Mimi and Michael were there as well, a boy and girl at their sides. Dingo and Lynna were standing near the rear, a young boy between them. Even Anna was eagerly awaiting the news.

            The man wearing the hospital scrubs grinned. "Hikari's doing just fine," Mitsuo answered, "Jyou said she'll be unconscious for a little bit longer. And…I'm the father of a baby girl."

            The crowd screamed in joy. As the group began to surround Mituso, Taichi watched from outside. He had shut himself off from the world for two years after the deaths of Koushiro and Daisuke, shut himself off from everyone. It took a world-threatening force to remind him that tragedy will happen, but no one can go through it alone. He had to remember, and now he would never forget again.

            Happiness was there, all you had to do was reach out and grab it.

Author's note:

            There is an alternate ending to this tale, but so as not to incur the wrath of the Gods of , you can find it on my author page on Mediaminer. Please check it out, as it will become important...in Digimon:Gog, the sequel. Please check both of them out.


End file.
